Neural anatomical connections between "Shenshu(BL 23)" "Guanyuan(CV 4)" and the ovary in rats

To investigate the distribution characteristics of sensory, sympathetic, and motor neurons associated with the "Shenshu (BL 23)" and "Guanyuan (CV 4) "acupoints and the ovary, and to elucidate the neural anatomical connections between these acupoints and the ovary. In this study, dual fluorescent neural tracing was utilized, with twelve female Sprague-Dawley rats being randomly allocated into two groups (n=6 per group) for the purpose of administering tracer injections at distinct anatomical sites: the “BL 23”-ovary group received injections of Alexa Fluor 488-conjugated cholera toxin subunit B (AF488-CTB) at the left “BL 23” and Fluoro-Gold (FG) in the left ovary; the “CV 4”-ovary group received AF488-CTB at “CV 4” and FG in the left ovary. Three days post-injection, the distribution of AF488-CTB and FG-labeled neural components was observed in the dorsal root ganglia (DRGs), sympathetic chain, and spinal cord tissues. ① Sensory neurons labeled with AF488-CTB associated with “BL 23” were primarily distributed in the thoracic (T) 10 to lumbar (L) 2 DRGs, concentrated in T12-T13; postganglionic sympathetic neurons were mainly located in the thoracolumbar sympathetic chain; motor neurons were predominantly found in the anterior horn of the T11-L1 spinal cord segments. ② Sensory neurons labeled with AF488-CTB associated with “CV 4” were primarily located in T10-L3 DRGs, concentrated in T13-L2 DRGs; postganglionic sympathetic neurons were mainly distributed in the lumbar sympathetic chain; motor neurons were primarily found in the anterior horn of T11-L2 spinal cord segments. ③ FG-labeled sensory neurons associated with the ovary were mainly distributed in the T9-L3 DRGs, concentrated in the T12-L2 DRGs; postganglionic sympathetic neurons were primarily located in the lumbar sympathetic chain. ④ Double-labeled (AF488-CTB and FG) sensory neurons associated with the “BL 23” and ovary were mainly distributed in the T12-T13 DRGs, with double-labeled postganglionic sympathetic neurons primarily in the lumbar sympathetic chain; double-labeled sensory neurons associated with the “CV 4” and ovary were mainly distributed in the T13-L1 DRGs, with double-labeled postganglionic sympathetic neurons primarily in the lumbar sympathetic chain. No double-labeled motor neurons were observed for either acupoint with the ovary. “BL 23” and "CV 4” and the ovary in rats exhibit segmental connections in sensory and sympathetic innervation, which may serve as the neural anatomical pathway and basis for acupuncture at these acupoints to regulate ovarian function. 探索“肾俞”“关元”穴与卵巢相关感觉,交感和运动神经元的分布特征, 揭示“肾俞”“关元”穴与卵巢之间的神经解剖学联系. 方法 :本研究采用荧光双标示踪技术, 将12只雌性SD大鼠随机分为以下两组, 每组6只, 分别进行不同位点的示踪剂注射:肾俞-卵巢组大鼠于左侧“肾俞”穴注射Alexa荧光素488结合霍乱毒素亚单位B (AF488-CTB) , 左侧卵巢注射荧光金 (FG) ;关元-卵巢组大鼠于“关元”穴注射AF488-CTB, 左侧卵巢同样注射FG.3天后观察AF488-CTB和FG标记的神经成分在脊神经节 (DRGs) ,交感神经链和脊髓组织中的分布. 结果 :①与“肾俞”穴相关的AF488-CTB标记的感觉神经元主要分布于胸 (T) 10−腰 (L) 2 DRGs, 集中于T12-T13;交感节后神经元主要分布于胸腰部交感神经链;运动神经元主要分布于T11-L1节段脊髓前角.②与“关元”穴相关的AF488-CTB标记的感觉神经元主要位于T10-L3 DRGs, 集中于T13-L2;交感节后神经元主要分布于腰部交感神经链;运动神经元主要分布于T11-L2节段脊髓前角.③与卵巢相关的FG标记的感觉神经元主要分布于T9-L3 DRGs, 集中于T12-L2;交感节后神经元主要分布于腰部交感神经链.④与“肾俞”穴和卵巢相关的AF488-CTB和FG双标记感觉神经元主要分布于T12-T13, 双标记的交感节后神经元主要分布于腰部交感神经链;与“关元”穴和卵巢相关的AF488-CTB和FG双标记感觉神经元主要分布于T13-L1, 双标记的交感节后神经元主要分布于腰部交感神经链, 两穴区与卵巢均无双标记的运动神经元. 结论 :大鼠“肾俞”“关元”穴区和卵巢在感觉和交感神经支配方面存在节段性联系, 这种联系可能是针刺“肾俞”“关元”穴调节卵巢功能的神经解剖学途径及依据.