Objective: To explore the mechanism of EA in treatment of acute pancreatitis.
Methods: Twenty-four healthy male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 3 groups, a control group, a model group and an EA group. In the model group, rat acute pancreatitis model was prearpared by intraperitoneal injection of Caerulein, and in the EA group, EA was given at "Zusanli" (ST 36) and "Tianshu" (ST 25) of the model rat. The gastric emptying rate, small intestinal impelling ratio, myeloperoxidase activity in the pancreas tissue, pathological score of the pancreas and serum amylase were detected.
Results: Compared with the control group, both the gastric emptying rate and the intestinal impelling ratio significantly decreased in the model group (P<0.05), and they significantly increased in the EA group compared with the model group (P<0.05). Myeloperoxidase activity in the pancreas tissue, pathological score of the pancreas and serum amylase activity significantly decreased in the EA group as compared with the model group (P<0.05).
Conclusion: EA can significantly improve the disturbance of gastrointestinal motility induced by acute pancreatitis and relieve pathological damage of pancreas.