Objective: To observe the effect of acupuncture in combination with Paclitaxel on apoptosis in Lewis lung carcinoma mice so as to investigate their anti-cancer mechanism.Methods: A total of 48 mice with inoculated Lewis lung carcinoma(LLC) were randomized into model

acupuncture

medication and acupuncture +medication groups

with 12 cases in each group.LLC model was established by subcutaneously incubating LLC cells into the left hindlimb of the C57BL/6 mice."Feishu"(BL13) was punctured and stimulated manually by manipulating the acupuncture needle with small amplitude for 1 min

twice again

followed by intraperitoneal injection of Paclitaxel(10 mg/kg).The treatment was given once daily

continuously for 10 days.The tumor weight was recorded

the inhibitory rate of LLC calculated and the apoptosis of LLC cells displayed with TUNEL method.Results: Compared with model group

the tumor weight values of acupuncture

medication and acupuncture +medication groups were significantly lower(P<0.05)

and the tumor inhibitory rates and the apoptotic index(AI) were markedly higher(P<0.05).Comparison among acupuncture

medication and acupuncture +medication groups showed that the tumor weight values of the later 2 groups were obviously lower than that of acupuncture group

and that of acupuncture +medication group was apparently lower than the weight of medication group(P<0.05); while the inhibitory rate of tumor and AI in acupuncture +medication group were significantly higher than those in acupuncture and medication groups(P<0.05).The findings showed that acupuncture

medication and acupuncture +medication could significantly suppress the growth of tumor and promote apoptosis of LLC cells

and the effect of the combined treatment group was significantly superior to that of simple acupuncture and medication.Conclusion: Combination of acupuncture and Paclitaxel has a synergistic effect in inhibiting the growth of LLC and accelerating apoptosis of tumor cells.