Objective: To explore the effect of blood letting puncturing (Xu-needling) plus cupping on guineapigs' behavior and muscular MDA content.

Methods: 98 male guineapigs were randomly divided into control group (n==3 l ), wind-cold-damp arthralgia model group (model group; n=35) and treatment group (n=32). Arthralgia-syndrome model was established by placing these animals of the last two groups in a cold and windy room (temperature:4 ±2°C and humidity: 96%) for 8 hours, once daily, two days altogether Gunieapigs of the treatment group accepted treatment by using a gauge-5 syringe needle to tap the bilateral skin of the buttock to a depth of about l .5mm, then sucking the pricked skin region with an aspirator to let about 1ml of blood out. The treatment was conducted once daily, continuously for 3 days. The average value of the long diameter and the short diameter of the motor end-plate of the gastrocnemius muscle was considered as the diameter value. Ultrastructural changes were observed under a transmission electron microscope.

Results: (l) Changes of animals' behavior: After taking out from the cold room, rats of model group presented stiffness and convulsion in their hind limbs and were difficult in walking, lasting for several hours. In treatment group, during cupping, the sucked blood was congestive hemorrhage, dull red at the beginning and then turned brightly red; while the sucked blood of the normal contro1 group had no any abnormal changes; (2) Changes of anatomy: After wind-cold stimulation, rats' motor end-plates of the gastrocnemius muscle increased slightly but had no significant difference in comparison with that of normal control group (P>0.05). After treatment, the diameter value was significantly shorter than that of normal control group and model group (P<0.05); (3) Under transmission e1ectron microscope, it was found that myofi1aments of the gastfocnemius muscle arranged in good order, and the myofi1ament striations were clear in the normal control group; while in model group , The myofilaments arranged in disorder and crisscrossed. The myofilament striations were vague and intermittent. Some of the myofilaments were broken. Compared with the situations of model group, the disorder degree of myofilaments in treatment group was lighter clearly. After wind-cold stimulation, lipid peroxide MDA contents of both sciatic' nerve tissue and gastrocnemius muscle increased considerably in comparison with those of normal control group (P<0.05). After treatment, MDA contents in both sciatic nerve and gastrocnemius muscle lowered significantly in comparison with those of model group, but were still higher than those of normal control group (P<0.05).

Conclusion: Bloodletting puncturing and cupping has a significant therapeutic effect in treatment of athralgia-syndrome.

By Ge Linbao, Liu Yun, Yang Rong