The study in our laboratory showed that electroacupuncture(EA) had a prot ective action on immunosuppression in traumatic rats.The spleen lymphocyte proli feration and IL 2 activity were signficantly decreased on the 1 st

3 rd

5 th and 7 th day after operative trauma and reached the minimum va lues on day 3

while beta endorphin and corticosterone in plasma levels increa sed. EA treatment could significantly reverse the immunosuppression and regulat e the above index changes in plasma. Further study showed that intracerebroventricular(icv) injection of naloxone could antagonize the depressed NK cell activity induced by trauma

and EA could a lso improve immunosuppression

suggesting that the central endogenous opioid pep tides might take part in the immunosuppression and the modulation of EA. Orphani n FQ is a new member in opioid peptide family

and its role in immunosuppressio n and modulation of EA is worthy of investigation. Orphanin FQ icv attenuated immune response envoked by trauma

and when blocking the synthesis of OFQ receptor with the antisense oligo nucleotide(ASO)

the effect of OFQ wa s completely abolished

suggesting that the central orphanin FQ might participat e in the modulation of the depressed immune function.However

ASO icv did not si gnificantly change the effect of EA .The study demonstrated that central OFQ and its rece ptor could be downregulated or upregulated by trauma or EA

so the mechanisms of the modulation of OFQ or EA on immunosuppression induced by surgical trauma sho uld be deeply studied. Central IL 1β plays an important role in neuroimmune regulation. The express ion of central IL 1β mRNA obviously increased after trauma. Intracerebroventri cular injection of IL 1β antibody could improve the severe immune depression i nduced by trauma. OFQ icv and EA could antagonize the increased IL 1β mRNA exp ression in trauma rats. OFQ immuno reactive cells and IL 1β mRNA were found t o coexist in the cerebral cortex

hippocampus and hypothalamus. It is suggested that the mechanisms of the improvement of EA on immunosuppressio n induced by trauma and its relationship with OFQ and IL 1β should be investigated further.