BACKGROUND Electroacupuncture (EA) is often used in clinical settings due to its analgesic effect, but its safety has not been verified due to the lack of clear criteria. This study examined the critical range of the corrosion of stainless steel types STS304 and STS316, which have been used clinically, and the relationship between needle corrosion and cell necrosis. METHOD The critical point of corrosion for STS304 and STS316 was identified by varying the time, frequency, and stimulation intensity. In a tissue necrosis experiment, EA stimulation was applied to rats using STS316 needles with different thicknesses at maximum intensity for 60 min, and the presence of corrosion and tissue necrosis was determined. A cytotoxicity experiment was also conducted and assessed the needles and tissue necrosis. RESULTS The results showed that STS316 was more stable than STS304 and that only coated needles corroded. Furthermore, tissue necrosis was observed regardless of corrosion, and slight cell necrosis was associated with needles with corrosion. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated that non-coated STS316 was the most stable for EA stimulation and that corrosion byproducts and cell necrosis were not directly related.

中文翻译：

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STS316针电针的生物安全性。

背景技术由于其镇痛作用，电针疗法（EA）常用于临床，但由于缺乏明确的标准，其安全性尚未得到验证。这项研究检查了临床使用的不锈钢类型STS304和STS316的腐蚀临界范围，以及针头腐蚀与细胞坏死之间的关系。方法通过改变时间，频率和刺激强度来确定STS304和STS316的腐蚀临界点。在组织坏死实验中，使用具有不同厚度的STS316针以最大强度对大鼠施加EA刺激60分钟，并确定是否存在腐蚀和组织坏死。还进行了细胞毒性实验，并评估了针头和组织坏死。结果结果表明，STS316比STS304更稳定，只有涂层的针头被腐蚀。此外，观察到组织坏死而与腐蚀无关，并且轻微的细胞坏死与具有腐蚀作用的针相关。结论这项研究表明，未涂层的STS316对EA刺激最稳定，并且腐蚀副产物和细胞坏死并不直接相关。