Objective: To observe the effect of acupuncture of "Zusanli"(ST 36) on blood flow of the stomach in the rat in order to evaluate the applied value of laser Doppler perfusion imager(LDPI) in acupuncture study.Methods: Thirty-eight Wistar rats were randomized into control group(n=18) and acupuncture group(n=20).Under anesthesia by 2% pentobarbital((2.5 mg/kg))

the rat's stomach body was exposed and put on a test pad.Then the rat was put in a constant temperature-box by controlling the temperature to be within 30-(35 ℃) and the change of temperature in an experiment to be ±(1 ℃).After inserting the acupuncture needle into "Zusanli"(ST 36)

it was manipulated for(1 min)

then kept in place for(10 min).The probe of LDPI was set to aim at the stomach with the distance between the probe and the stomach being about(20 cm).The images were analyzed by using the instrument-installed LDPI 2.5 software.Results: Under natural state

blood flow shown by the images presented a flabellate distribution from the lesser curvature to the greater curvature of the stomach

and decreased gradually during the experiment in the control group.After acupuncture of "Zusanli"(ST 36)

the results showed that there were distinct differences in the perfusion images flow(increase of blood flow

particularly at the 10

(th)

min after acupuncture) on the middle part of the stomach and the region near the cardia in comparison with control group.Conclution: Acupuncture of "Zusanli"(ST 36) can increase the blood flow in the rat.The present finding demonstrates that LDPI can be used to provide an objective and specific assessment on the effects of acupuncture.