[Effects of acupuncture with different filiform needles on tissues, cells and collagenous fiber of fascia in acupoint area of rats].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of acupuncture with different filiform needles on structure of fascial connective tissues, cellular activity, arrangement and content of collagen fibers in acupoint area of rats.

METHODS: A total of 32 SD rats were randomly divided into a blank group, a thin needle group, a medium needle group and a thick needle group, 8 rats in each one. Except for the blank group, rats in the remaining groups were treated with horizontal acupuncture at "Zhongwan" (CV 12) towards Conception Vessel with different filiform needles, and twirling mild reinforcing-reducing method was applied, once a day. Rats in the blank group were treated with identical anesthesia, grasping and fixation. After 3-day intervention, the fascial connective tissue of acupoint area was collected. HE staining, immumohistochemical staining of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and MASSON staining were adopted to observe the morphology of fascial connective tissues, expression of PCNA in cells and arrangement and expression of collagenous fiber.

RESULTS: After acupuncture in each group, the consistency of morphology of fascial connective tissues and arrangement of collagenous fiber were changed; the expression of PCNA protein in the fascial connective tissue in each group was significantly increased (P<0. 01, P<0. 05). The area distribution of collagenous fiber were changed, and that in the thin needle group was insignificantly increased compared with that in the blank group (P>0. 05), and that in the medium needle group and thick needle group were reduced compared with that in the blank group (both P<0. 05).

CONCLUSIONS: Acupuncture with different filiform needles can change the local tissue morphology of acupoints, strengthen cell activity and adjust the exyression of collagenous fiber protein, which may be one of the cellular biomechanics principles of the acupuncture therapy's "regulating meridians" effects. However, the stimulation is produced by different fifiform needles, and the complex relationships exist between cells and collagen fibers.