Acupuncture in a Rat Model of Asthma

Summary

A high platform can fix rats without restriction and completely expose the acupoints on the back during acupuncture manipulation. This article describes methods for the fabrication of the high platform, establishes a rat model of asthma and measures changes in respiratory function using a noninvasive and real-time whole-body plethysmography (WBP) system.

Abstract

A high platform can fix rats without restriction and completely expose the acupoints on the back during acupuncture manipulation. This article describes methods for the fabrication of the high platform, establishes a rat model of asthma and measures changes in respiratory function using a noninvasive and real-time whole-body plethysmography (WBP) system.

Introduction

Asthma is a chronic disease characterized by bronchoconstriction and airway hyper-responsiveness¹. Approximately 339.4 million people worldwide are diagnosed with asthma². The prevalence of asthma is increasing globally, with 100 million new cases expected in the next decade³. Inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting β₂-agonists do not effectively control the symptoms of all patients⁴. Therefore, the use of alternative therapies such as acupuncture to treat asthma has been receiving increased attention⁵. An effective method for treatin....

Protocol

All animal experiments were reviewed and approved by the Committee on the Ethics of Animal Experiments of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Ethical clearance number PZSHUTCM190308020).

1. Fabrication of the high platform

1. Set the length and width of the supporting device to 86 cm x 17 cm (Figure 1).
2. Fix the connecting device vertically to the supporting device. The connecting device should be approximately 30 cm long to prevent the rat from running to the top surface of the high platform and have a width of 14 cm.
3. Fix the horizo....

Results

With acupuncture at the GV14, bilateral BL12 and bilateral BL13 points, the rat maintains a prone position. The rat can twist its head only to the outside and not the inside because one direction is blocked with a wooden board (Figure 5).

As the methacholine concentration increased, Penh shows an increasing trend and the growth rate gradually increases. At concentrations of 3.125 mg/mL, 6.25 mg/mL, 12.5 mg/mL, 25 mg/mL and 50 mg/mL, Penh increased by 18.40% ± 10.7.......

Discussion

The GV14, bilateral BL12 and bilateral BL13 acupoints used in this study are located on the back, and thus the high platform is suitable for fixing rats. In other studies, an adequate fixation method should be selected according to the position of the acupoints¹⁵. For acupoints on the abdomen, the rat can be placed downward in a black cone (similar to a pastry bag used by bakers)¹⁷. A chain is attached to the restraint cone for fixation, and the hind leg of the rat is also .......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
0.3 mm x 13.0 mm acupuncture needle	China Suzhou Medical Device Factory
Al(OH)3	American Thermo	77161
Compression nebulizer	Jiangsu Lude Medical Electronics Co., Ltd.	NB-212C
Fine Pointe V2.0	American Buxco
Laboratory gas drying unit	American Drierite	26800
Methacholine	American Sigma	MKCF6054
Ovalbumin	American Sigma	A5503-25G
Phosphate Buffer solution (1x)	Gelifesciences	SH30256.01
Seal box	IRIS Corporation of Japan
Whole-body plethysmography respiratory function measurement system	American Buxco