应用阿片受体拮抗剂对抗针刺镇痛的实验观察已在人猴、猫、兔、大鼠及小鼠等动物上得到证实

说明中枢内源性阿片样物质(OLS)参与针刺镇痛;中枢5-羟色胺(5-HT)在针刺镇痛中的重要作用也已被确认。这两者在针刺镇痛过程中的作用具有密切的相互关系。本工作中

Intraventricular (ivt) injection of 40 μg of naloxone

which is sufficient to block completely analgesia elicited by i. v. injection of 6mg/kg of morphine

caused only a partial (50～55%) blockade of electroacupuncture analgesia (EAA) in the rabbit. It implies that the mechanism for EAA is smilar to

but not identical with

that of morphine analgesia. The effect of EAA could also be blocked by 40% by ivt injection of 60 μg of cinanserin

the serotonin antagonist. While doubling the dose of nal oxone or cinanserin brought about no further attenuation of EAA

the combined administration of both antagonists reduced the effect of EAA by 74%. The results imply that; (1) both endogenous opioids and serotonin are important for mediation of EAA

(2) there may be a certain degree of overlapping between these two mechanisms

and (3) neurochemical me chanisms other than endogenous opioids and serotonin may be operating for mediation of EAA.