Objective:To observe the effect of electroacupuncture(EA)on synovia IL-1β and TNF-α contents in rabbits with knee osteoarthritis(KOA).Methods:A total of 40 New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into control

model

massage and EA groups.KOA model was established by gypsum fixing method.EA(2 Hz

1-3 mA)was applied to left “Xiyan”(EX-LE 5)

“Yanglingquan”(GB 34)

“Xuehai”(SP 10)

“Zusanli”(ST 36)and “Liangqiu”(ST 34)for 30 min

once daily and continuously for 21 days.For massage group

the affected knee joint was pressed

kneaded

stretched and rotated repeatedly for 15 min every time

followed by forced running about 100 m.The intra-joint synovia was collected(0.4-0.6 mL)for detecting the contents of IL-1β and TNF-α with radioimmunoassay.Results:No IL-1β and TNF-α were detected in the synovia in control group

while in the other 3 groups

synovia IL-1β and TNF-α levels increased significantly.Before treatment

no significant differences were found among model

EA and massage groups in the levels of IL-1β and TNF-α(P>0.05)

while after the treatment the two indexes both decreased considerably(P<0.05).Compared with model group

the two indexes were remarkably lower(P<0.05)

but no significant differences were found between EA and massage groups in synovia IL-1β and TNF-α contents(P>0.05).Conclusion:Both EA and massage can effectively suppress the release of synovia IL-1β and TNF-α in KOA of rabbits

which may contribute to the effect of acupuncture in the treatment of osteoarthritis.