Electro-acupuncture improves responsiveness to insulin via excitation of somatic afferent fibers in diabetic rats

Abstract The effects of electro-acupuncture (EA) on plasma concentration of glucose and on responsiveness to insulin were examined in an animal model of diabetes, the streptozotocin-treated rat. Two weeks after treatment with streptozotocin, rats were anesthetized with urethane-chloralose and subjec...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Autonomic neuroscience 2009-10, Vol.150 (1), p.100-103
Main Authors: Higashimura, Yukie, Shimoju, Rie, Maruyama, Hitoshi, Kurosawa, Mieko
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Advanced Basic Science
Animals
Blood Glucose - metabolism
Blood Pressure - drug effects
Blood Pressure - physiology
Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - blood
Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - pathology
Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - therapy
Diabetic rats
Disease Models, Animal
Electro-acupuncture
Electroacupuncture - methods
Femoral Nerve - injuries
Femoral Nerve - physiology
Functional Laterality
Hindlimb - innervation
Hypoglycemic Agents - pharmacology
Hypoglycemic Agents - therapeutic use
Insulin - pharmacology
Insulin - therapeutic use
Insulin responsiveness
Male
Medical Education
Plasma glucose
Rats
Rats, Wistar
Sciatic Nerve - injuries
Sciatic Nerve - physiology
Somatic afferent nerves
Streptozotocin
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Summary:Abstract The effects of electro-acupuncture (EA) on plasma concentration of glucose and on responsiveness to insulin were examined in an animal model of diabetes, the streptozotocin-treated rat. Two weeks after treatment with streptozotocin, rats were anesthetized with urethane-chloralose and subjected to the EA for 10 min delivered to the tibialis anterior muscle of one side. The stimulation produced no significant changes in plasma glucose concentration. In contrast, EA increased the response of plasma glucose to insulin (0.2 U kg − 1 ). The effect of EA on the responsiveness to insulin was abolished by section of both sciatic and femoral nerves ipsilateral to the side of the EA. These results show that EA in diabetic rats has no effect on plasma glucose concentration while it augments the responsiveness to insulin, and we show that this occurs via a mechanism that involves the somatic afferent nerves.
ISSN:1566-0702
1872-7484
DOI:10.1016/j.autneu.2009.06.003