Single-Point Manual Acupuncture Targeting the Pancreatic Spinal Segment Reduces Blood Glucose and Affects Langerhans Islet Morphology in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

Introduction Acupuncture has demonstrated promising antihyperglycemic effects in diabetes; however, the effect of manual acupuncture applied at a single acupuncture point targeting the pancreatic spinal segment has not been previously investigated in a diabetic animal model. Methods This randomized controlled in vivo experimental study with a parallel-group, repeated-measures design was conducted using 18 male Sprague–Dawley rats allocated into three groups ( n = 6 each): normal group, diabetic group, and acupuncture group. Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ; 50 mg/kg). The acupuncture group received manual acupuncture at the EX-B3 Weiwanxiashu point three times per week over 2 consecutive weeks, for a total of six sessions. The primary outcome was fasting blood glucose (FBG) level; secondary outcomes included the percentage area of Langerhans islets on pancreatic histology, body weight, and pancreas weight. Results Postintervention FBG levels were significantly lower in the acupuncture group (289.17 ± 110.98 mg/dL) compared to the diabetic group (395.83 ± 29.07 mg/dL) ( p = 0.046). The percentage area of Langerhans islets was numerically greater in the acupuncture group (16.4 ± 6.4%) than the diabetic group (12.2 ± 6.8%), though this difference was not statistically significant ( p = 1.000). Diabetic rats had significantly lower body weight and pancreas weight compared to normal rats ( p < 0.001 and p = 0.003, respectively). Conclusion Manual acupuncture at the EX-B3 Weiwanxiashu point significantly reduced FBG levels in STZ-induced diabetic rats, with a nonsignificant trend toward improvement in Langerhans islet morphology. These findings provide preliminary proof-of-concept evidence supporting the antihyperglycemic potential of segmental acupuncture targeting pancreatic innervation, warranting further studies with refined experimental models.