Antipruritic effect of cold stimulation at the Quchi Acupoint (LI11) in Mice
نویسندگان
چکیده
BACKGROUND Acupuncture and moxibustion are used to treat pruritus and atopic dermatitis. However, whether cold stimulation (defined as that the temperature conducted under skin temperature) of acupoints affects itching in experimental murine models remains unclear. METHODS The present study was designed to determine the therapeutic effects of different thermal stimulations at the Quchi acupoint (LI11) in a murine model in which scratching behaviour was elicited by subcutaneous injection with a pruritogenic agent (compound 48/80). Male ICR mice were divided into several groups as follows: control (saline), those receiving compound 48/80 and compound 48/80 with various thermal stimulations (5°C-45°C) at LI11 (n = 6 per group). The scratch response of each animal to these stimulations was recorded for 30 min. The antipruritic effect of the acupoint was further evaluated in LI11 and sham (non-acupoint) groups (n = 6 per group). RESULTS Treatment with lower temperature (20°C) at the LI11 acupoint significantly attenuated compound 48/80-induced scratching; however, this antipruritic effect was not observed with stimulation at the sham point. The expression of c-fos in the neuron of the cervical spine induced by compound 48/80 was suppressed by cold stimulation at LI11. The antipruritic effect of cold stimulation was blocked by ruthium red (RR), a non-selective transient receptor potential (TRP) channel blocker, suggesting that TRP channels may play an important role in the antipruritic effect of cold stimulation at LI11 in mice. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated that cold stimulation at LI11 attenuated compound 48/80-induced scratching behaviour in mice, possibly by a TRP-related pathway.
منابع مشابه
Acupuncture Point Laterality: Investigation of Acute Effects of Quchi (LI11) in Patients with Hypertension Using Heart Rate Variability
Hypertension is one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease worldwide. Over 70% of the patients use antihypertensive drugs, so nonpharmacological treatments in addition to the medication are important. Our goal was to investigate acupuncture treatment on the Quchi acupoint using heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) and to find out whether there is a laterality in acute ...
متن کاملObservation of Microvascular Perfusion in the Hegu (LI4) Acupoint Area after Deqi Acupuncture at Quchi (LI11) Acupoint Using Speckle Laser Blood Flow Scanning Technology
The aim of this study was to investigate the traditional meridian theory using speckle laser blood flow scanning technology to observe microcirculation of the Hegu acupoint area after acupuncture stimulation on distant points. An observational study was conducted to observe the microvascular perfusion of Hegu (LI4) and control points after acupuncturing Quchi (LI11). Thirty healthy volunteers (...
متن کاملDifferent Surface Electromyography of Propagated Sensation along Meridians Produced by Acupuncturing Quchi Acupoint (LI11) or Control Points
This study investigated the propagated sensation along meridians (PSM) produced respectively by acupuncture at a specific acupoint of right-side Quchi (LI11), a nonacupoint on meridian (control meridian point), and neither meridian nor acupoint (control point). All the stimulated points were on the right brachioradialis along the large intestine meridian of hand Yangming. Surface electromyograp...
متن کاملfMRI study of effect on brain activity according to stimulation method at LI11, ST36: painful pressure and acupuncture stimulation of same acupoints.
OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to assess differences in brain responses between pressure and acupuncture stimulation at the same acupoint using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). SUBJECTS A total of 10 healthy right-handed volunteers were studied. DESIGN fMRI was performed with two different paradigms; namely, pressure and acupuncture stimulation at acupuncture points...
متن کامل