Acupuncture Dry Eye Model The Impact Of Tear Secretion In Castrated Male Rabbits And Its Mechanism

Objective:To study the effect of acupuncture on tear secretion and lacrimal gland epithelial pathological apoptosis-related proteins’Fas/FasL of castrated male rabbits animal models with dry eye symptoms. And to explore the mechanism of acupuncture caused tear secretion.Methods:Divide18healthy adult male rabbits randomly into normal group, dry eye group and acupuncture group (6rabbits each group). Do bilateral removal of the testis and epididymis on dry eye group and acupuncture group to produce dry eye models. After2weeks, do local acupuncture treatment on castrated male rabbits when the dry eye model formed and became stable. Test tears flow and corneal staining of each group of rabbits before castration and1,2,3,4,5,6weeks after castration. Take rabbit lacrimal glands of each group for histopathology and immunohistochemical study.Results:1Tears flow:Two weeks after castration, the tears flow difference between dry eye group and the acupuncture group was statistically significant (P<0.05). One week after, the tears flow of acupuncture group was higher than the dry eye group. The difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).2Corneal staining:two weeks after castration, corneal fluorescein staining scores of normal group, dry eye group and the acupuncture group was significant (P<0.05). After acupuncture treatment, the difference between acupuncture group and dry eye group at any time point has statistically significant difference (P<0.05).3Histopathological observation:Normal group gland interstitial occasional infiltration of lymphocytes, medium lacrimal gland cells, no accumulation of lymphocytes or plasma cells, no formation of lymphoid follicle. Dry eye group gland interstitial diffuse infiltration of plasma cells, lacrimal gland epithelial cells atrophy, atrophy within the columnar epithelial cells, reducing substances in the glandular cells. Lacrimal gland can be seen a large number of lymphocyte infiltration. The structural integrity of the lacrimal gland of the acupuncture group, a clear structure of glandular epithelium, glandular interstitial small amount of lymphoid infiltration of plasma cells, and no small focal accumulation and lymphoid follicles, and no apparent glandular atrophy.4The lacrimal gland epithelial cell apoptosis and related proteins Fas and FasL:Interstitial lymphocytes were negative, occasionally positive expression in the normal group. Cytoplasmic expression was significantly enhanced in the dry eye group, brownish-yellow or deep yellow. In acupuncture group, there is local small amount of cytoplasm positive expression, pale yellow. The Fas/FasL expression were raised in the acupuncture group and dry eye group. Strong expression in the dry eye group, while the expression was lower in the acupuncture group, and mostly weak expression.6weeks after castration, the difference between the dry eye group and acupuncture group was significant (P<0.05). There was no significant difference (P>0.05) between acupuncture group and control group.Conclusions:1Castrated male rabbits can be made into animal models with dry eye symptoms.2In observation of castrated male rabbits, histopathology lacrimal gland epithelial cells atrophy, reduced acinar cavity mucous substance, a lot of infiltration of lymphocytes found in the lacrimal gland which resulting in a change of the quality and quantity of tear secretion and tear film stability change.3Local acupuncture treatment on castrated male rabbits with dry eye symptoms has a good effect.4Apoptosis may be one important reason for patients with dry eye lacrimal gland tissue destruction.