The Changes in Blood Flow Seen in the Eye after Foot Acupuncture Treatment in Mice

Abstract

Acupuncture is used to treat a wide variety of eye diseases, although there is little evidence about the effects of acupuncture treatment and the mechanisms responsible for them. Foot acupuncture treatment has effects in both mice and humans. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of acupuncture treatment on ocular blood flow in mice. We evaluated ocular blood flow in C57BL/6J mice after foot acupuncture treatment using laser speckle flowgraphy. The mean blur rate, which is an index of blood flow velocity, was increased in the foot acupuncture group. Our results showed that, after 3 minutes’ foot acupuncture, ocular blood flow was significantly increased in both the blood vessels and tissue of the eye in C57BL/6J mice. Thus, performing acupuncture in mice might help to determine its effects. Furthermore, acupuncture is considered to be a possible treatment for ocular disease.