OBJECTIVETo explore the mechanism of acupuncture for treatment of lumbar nerve root compression injury.

METHODSFifty healthy SD rats were randomly divided into 5 groups, a normal group, a model group treated by saline, a medication group treated with Caerulein, an acupuncture group treated with acupuncture at L5, L6 Jiaji (EX-B 2) and a warm needle group treated with acupuncture and moxibustion at L5, L6 Jiaji (EX-B 2). The lumbar nerve root compress injury model was made by placing microsilica gel tablet. After they were treated for 14 days, the compressed nerve root was taken and the ultra-microstructure changes of the injured nerve root were observed by electron microscope and changes of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) expressions were investigated by ELISA assay.

RESULTSThe changes of ultra-microstructure of the nerve root were the most obvious in the model group and the changes in the medication group, the acupuncture group and the warming needle group reduced in order; the NOS activity and CGRP content in the nerve root tissue of the compressed area in the warm needle group were significantly reduced as compared with the model group (P < 0.05), but with no significant difference as compared with those in the normal group (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONWarm needle treatment can effectively maintain cellular form, and ultra-microstructures of nerve root dorsal root ganglia, and effectively inhibit the release of inflammatory factors NOS and CGRP.