To analyze the curative effects of moxibustion for rat diabetic hepatic injuries caused by the administration ofsteptozotocin (STZ), the authors designed ultrastructural studies using light microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and image processing.
Wistar male rats (44 animals) were divided into 4 groups. The first group (10 animals) was used as the control. The second group (14 animals) was a diabetic group injected I.P. with 50 mg/kg BW of STZ on the first experimental day. The third and fourth groups (10 animals each) were the curative groups, which were given moxibustion treatments of 5 half-rice grains of moxa, three times a week following STZ administration. Used acupoints were Tian Men (3rd group) and Tian Ping (4th group) according to the animal acupoint chart.
First, light and electron microscopices were used to observe, the hepatic parenchymal cells, and light and electron micrographs were obtained. The electron micrographs were used to analyze the distribution of glycogen granules including its glycogen areas, fat droplets and autophagic vacuoles using an image processing method.
The results were as follows : Normal control hepatocytes contained moderate volumes of glycogen areas and glycogen granules, but a few hepatocytes were without fat droplets or autophagic vacuoles. On the other hand, thehepatocytes, that had been treated with only STZ, were injured, and contained a number of fat droplets andautophagic vacuoles, but glycogen areas and glycogen granules had decreased. The hepatocytes of the rats treatedwith both STZ and moxibustion recovered to their normal state, suggesting that moxibustion treatment had curativeeffects for the rat hepatic dabetic injuries caused by the administration of STZ.