Mast Cell Degranulation and Adenosine Release:Acupoint Specificity for Effect of Electroacupuncture on Pituitrin‐Induced Acute Heart Bradycardia in Rabbits

Wang X, Huang M, Yang H, Zhang D, Yao W, Xia Y, Ding G · Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine · 2020 January

DOI 10.1155/2020/1348914

Objective

To investigate the specificity of acupoints in acupuncture-induced cardiovascular regulation in an acute bradycardia rabbit model and explore whether mast cell degranulation and adenosine release contribute to this effect.

Conclusions

The study of electroacupuncture-induced adjustment of acute bradycardia found relative acupoint specificity, with PC6 producing significantly better effects than other acupoints and nonacupoints, potentially through increased local mast cell degranulation and adenosine release.

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Insights

Electroacupuncture at a specific wrist point uniquely improved slowed heart rate in rabbits, potentially through local immune-cell activation and adenosine release.

Researchers induced acute slowed heart rate in rabbits and applied electroacupuncture at the wrist point associated with the pericardium pathway, nearby comparison points, points on other pathways, and a non-point location. They compared heart-rate changes across groups and assessed local mast-cell degranulation and adenosine release using tissue analysis and high-performance liquid chromatography. Only stimulation at the targeted wrist point improved relative heart rate, indicating that cardiovascular effects depended on the precise stimulation location. This point also showed greater mast-cell degranulation, while adenosine release increased at locations along the pericardium pathway, suggesting that local immune-cell activity and adenosine may contribute to its stronger effect.