Acupuncture Stimulation at Sanyinjiao: Effect on the Sodium Pertechnetate Bioavailability in Rats

Abstract

In clinical acupuncture, when acupuncture points are stimulated, several types of reflex responses can be evoked. Consequently, different categories of physiological responses are induced, which include changes in the activities of internal organs and tissues. The acupuncture point Sanyinjiao (SP6) has been used successfully to treat different human gastrointestinal conditions. The aim of this work was to investigate the effects of end-organ response induced by acupuncture point SP6 on the bioavailability of the radiopharmaceutical sodium pertechnetate (Na99mTcO4) in Wistar rats. Healthy rats were allocated into 2 groups, control-CG and treated-TG. TG was bilaterally stimulated at acupuncture point SP6 with stainless steel needles. Ocular plexus administration of Na99mTcO4 (3.7MBq) was carried out 10 min after every needle insertion in all animals. Ten minutes later, the animals were killed, the organs were isolated, the radioactivity was determined in a well gamma counter, and the percentage of injected dose per gram of tissue (%ID/g) was determined for each organ. The %ID/g was significantly altered (p < 0.05) in the small intestine of TG (0.56 +/- 0.09) when compared to CG (0.82 +/- 0.18). These results may suggest that this stimulation might induce physiological responses capable of altering the bioavailability of the radiopharmaceutical sodium pertechnetate. These findings aid in providing a better understanding of acupuncture and its effects on various organs and tissues.

Nuclear medicine methods in the assessment of acupuncture effects: a short review

“…In nuclear medicine, a radiopharmaceutical presents a normal bioavailability that might be altered due to diseases and this fact is important to define the diagnosis of a disorder. Protocols that evaluate the bioavailability of radiopharmaceuticals have permitted to investigate the influence of certain synthetic drugs (Gomes et al, 2002;Jankovic and Djokic, 2005), natural products (Moreno et al, 2004), physical exercises (Llaurado et al, 1981;Ollenberger et al, 1998) and stimulation of acupuncture points (Senna-Fernandes et al, 2006;Souza et al, 2007). Occasionally, unconventional forms of treatment can cause unexpected results when modern diagnostic procedures are applied, as occurred with the patient in the study of Kuno and Cerqueira (1995).…”

“…Senna-Fernandes et al (2006) have shown that the stimulation of the acupuncture point Zusanli (ST36) has increased the uptake of the radiopharmaceutical 99m Tc -sodium pertechnetate (Na 99m TcO 4 ) in some organs (heart, spleen, pancreas, stomach, brain and testis) from Wistar rats, and Souza et al (2007) showed that stimulating the Sanyinjiao (SP6) point, the bioavailability of Na 99m TcO 4 was significantly altered in the small intestine. The PET imaging of brain function in the study of Yin et al (2003) showed increase in the glycometabolism in the hypothalamus, head of the caudate nucleus, temporal lobe, the sinistral cerebellum, postcentral gyrus, and brain stem while the acupoint ST36 was being punctured.…”

“…Scintigraphic images using single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) and/or positron emission tomography (PET) which demonstrate the physiological processes of a tissue, allow measurement of physiologic processes as well as alterations related to various diseases (Hladik III et al, 1987;Early and Sodee, 1995;Saha, 2004). The availability of sophisticated imaging methods such as SPECT and PET, as well as in vitro experimental assays (Senna-Fernandes et al, 2006;Souza et al, 2007), have prompted their use to study techniques used in the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), as acupuncture (Newberg et al, 2005;Campbell, 2006). Recent interest in complementary and alternative medicine has promoted research on various procedures for healing and health care (Kawakita et al, 2006).…”

Acupuncture at “Zusanli" (St.36) and “Sanyinjiao" (SP.6) Points on the Gastrointestinal Tract: A Study of the Bioavailability of 99mTc‐Sodium Pertechnetate in Rats

“…In Group 2, animals received manual acupuncture by puncturing 5 mm deep into SP.6, bilaterally, with the same type of needle [18]. These acupoints in rat was positioned according to the palpation of the anatomical location of the cutaneous sites described by various authors in previous studies [10, 12, 18–21], and assured with an analogical paquimeter ( Sanny, Brazil ).…”

Biodistribution of 99Mo in rats

“…The animals were sacrificed in a CO 2 chamber after reference times based on the ones applied to 99m Tc, i.e., 10 and 120 minutes for sodium molibdate and molibdate+MDP respectively. The organs were separated, weighted at 0.01g precision and counted with a NaI(Tl)8x4 scintillation detector installed in the shielded room of the In Vivo Monitoring Laboratory of IRD (Souza et al, 2007).…”