Mast cell activation at the wrist acupuncture point appears essential for electroacupuncture to improve slowed heart rate and blood pressure in rabbits.
Researchers compared mast cell density at a wrist acupuncture point, a nearby acupuncture point, and a non-acupuncture site in rabbits. They induced slowed heart rate using pituitrin, applied electroacupuncture at the wrist point, and measured heart rate and blood pressure. To test mast cells’ role, they injected a mast cell-stabilising drug at the stimulation site before electroacupuncture and assessed mast cell degranulation and cardiovascular responses.
Mast cells were more abundant at both acupuncture points than at the non-acupuncture site. Electroacupuncture triggered mast cell degranulation at the wrist point and improved the pituitrin-induced reductions in heart rate and blood pressure. Stabilising mast cells suppressed both their degranulation and the cardiovascular benefits of electroacupuncture, indicating that local mast cell activation contributes importantly to these effects.
