RELEASE OF GONADOTROPIN-RELEASING-HORMONE (GNRH) FROM THE MEDIO-BASALHYPOTHALAMUS INDUCED BY ELECTROACUPUNCTURE IN CONSCIOUS FEMALE RABBITS

In electroacupuncture (EA) treatment, successful induction of ovulatio n is usually accompanied with the facilitation of pulsatile secretion of gonadotropin. The present work studied the release of GnRH from the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) using push-pull perfusion technique in conscious New Zealand female rabbits before, during and after EA stimu lation. EA (4Hz, 5mA, 30 min) of Guanyuan(Ren 4), Zhongji (Ren 3), bil ateral Sanyinjiao(SP 6) and Zigong(Extra 16) was given at the end of t he 1st, 3rd and 5th hour during 6 hours' perfusion (EA group, n=6). Cu pric acetate (CuAC) was given (1%, 0.9ml,i.v.) at the end of the lst h our perfusion (CuAC group, n=5) as a control since it is known as a st imulant for the release of GnRH. Rabbits in the control group (n=4) we re under the same perfusion condition except with no CuAC injection or EA stimulation. It was found that GnRH level was elevated immediately and significantly (4.64 +/- 0.98 v.s. 2.08 +/- 0.01 pg/ml, P<0.05) af ter EA stimulation. In the CuAC group, GnRH level was also significant ly elevated (3.84 +/- 0.37 v.s. 2.08 +/- 0.001 pg/ml, P<0.05) one hour after CuAC injection. In addition, corpus lutein were observed both i n the EA group (2/6) and the CuAC group (5/5). No similar changes were found in the control group. The data suggest that EA is capable of fa cilitating GnRH release from the MBH.