Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B
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2018
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IF 6.014
Qian Zhang,Chuncao Xu,Shiqi Lin,Huanbin Zhou,Gangtao Yao,Hu Liu,Lili Wang,Xin Pan,Guilan Quan,Chuanbin Wu
Dissolving microneedles carried drug molecules can effectively penetrate the stratum corneum of skin to improve the transdermal drug delivery. The traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture is based on the needle stimulation at a specific location (acupoint) to generate and transmit biochemical and physiological signals which alter the pathophysiological state of patients. However, the pain associated with conventional acupuncture needles and the requirement of highly trained professionals limit the development of acupuncture in non-Asian countries. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the dissolving microneedles can be utilized as a self-administered painless replacement for acupuncture and locally released drug molecules can achieve expected therapeutic outcomes. Immunosuppressive rats were treated with acupuncture at Zusanli (ST36) acupoint using microneedles containing thymopentin. The immune functions and psychological mood of the immunosuppressed animals were examined. The proliferation of splenocytes was examined by CCK-8 assay. CD4 and CD8 expression patterns in spleen cells were detected by flow cytometry. The current study showed that use of either microneedles containing thymopentin or conventional acupuncture both resulted in immune cell proliferation, which was confirmed by flow cytometry. Furthermore, either conventional acupuncture or microneedles were able to effectively mitigate the anxiety caused by immune-suppression when applied on the ST36.
研究领域:
中药学
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免疫学
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药剂学
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DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
Scientific Reports
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2017
·Vol. 7
·期 1
·1-10
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IF 4.259
Tang Lina,Li Yutao,Xie Hui,Shu Qing,Yang Fan,Liu Yan-ling,Liang Fengxia,Wang Hua,Huang Weihua,Zhang Guo-Jun
This study reports an acupuncture needle modified with an iron-porphyrin functionalized graphene composite (FGPC) for real-time monitoring of nitric oxide (NO) release in acupoints of rats. A gold film was first deposited to the needle surface to enhance the conductivity. The FGPC was prepared via hydrothermal synthesis, and subsequently applied to the tip surface of acupuncture needle by electrochemical deposition method. The functionalized needle enabled a specific and sensitive detection of NO based on the favorably catalytic properties of iron-porphyrin and the excellent conductivity of graphene. Amperometric data showed that the needle achieved not only a low detection limit down to 3.2 nM in PBS solution, but also a satisfactory selectivity. Interestingly, the functionalized needle could be inserted into the acupoints of rats for real-time monitoring of NO in vivo . It was found that a remarkable response to NO was respectively obtained in different acupoints when stimulated by L -arginine ( L -Arg), revealing that the release of NO was detectable in acupoints. We expect this work would showcase the applications of acupuncture needle in detecting some important signaling molecules in vivo , and exploring the mechanism of acupuncture treatment.
研究领域:
生物医学工程
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中医药学
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分析化学
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DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
BIOMEDICINE & PHARMACOTHERAPY
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2018
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IF 3.457
Qinran Sun,Fangming Liu,Min Gao,Wenqing Wu,Weiju Liu,Cong Yin,Zhongshu Zhu,Lijin Zhang,Xiufang Ding,Yanping Guo,Hui Gong,Xuguo Sun,Daoping Zhang
Cervical spondylosis (CS), which is resulted from degeneration of cervical intervertebral disc, is a common disease seriously threatening human health and quality of life. However, there is still no effective clinic strategies for the treatment of this disease. The acupoint stimulation with needle-scalpel is a widely used approach to treat orthopedic diseases. In the present study, we evaluated the therapeutic effects of acupoint stimulation around neck with needle-scalpel on delaying the degeneration of cervical intervertebral discs and hopefully provided an approach for the precaution and early intervention of CS. We firstly established a rat model of CS by cervical static-dynamic imbalance to mimics disc degeneration and then stimulated the acupoints around neck with needle-scalpel. The cervical intervertebral disc samples were collected to measure type I and II collagen by quantitative PCR (qPCR), immunohistochemistry, and western blot. The changes in micro-structure and ultra-structure of nucleus pulposus were analyzed under the optical microscope and electron microscope respectively. Acupoint stimulation with needle-scapelon increased type I collagen production and decreased type II collagen production, and improved the micro-structure and ultra-structure of nucleus pulposus. Our results suggest that acupoint stimulation around neck with needle-scapelon could inhibit intervertebral disc degeneration through modulating the extracellular matrix collagen system and improving the changed structure of nucleus pulposus.
研究领域:
骨科
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中医
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生物医学研究
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DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
MATERIALS & DESIGN
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2025
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IF 7.9
Xiujuan Li,Zehao Chen,Songgen Chen,Han Wang,Lin Fu,Ban Feng,Hui Chen,Lize Xiong
Pain represents a significant public health challenge with substantial clinical and economic burdens. While pharmacotherapy remains a mainstay of pain management, its utility is limited by adverse side effects and the potential for dependency. Acupuncture has shown great potential in pain management through its ability to induce analgesic effects via acupoint stimulation. However, its poor specificity and ill-defined stimulation parameters compromise therapeutic specificity and reproducibility. Herein, we developed a biomaterial-based acupoint activation strategy for pain management. Adhesive polydopamine-coated hydrogel microspheres were fabricated using microfluidic techniques for accurate attachment and activation of acupoints. Adhesive hydrogel microspheres loaded with adenosine can slowly release exogenous adenosine at the ST36 acupoint to simulate the analgesic effect of acupuncture. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that single-dose administration of adhesive microspheres can effectively target acupoints, elevate mechanical pain thresholds, and provide systemic anti-inflammatory effects for up to 7 days. Overall, the proposed adhesive hydrogel microsphere system offers a new perspective on acupuncture practice and pain management.
研究领域:
生物医学工程
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疼痛医学
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生物材料
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药物递送系统
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针灸研究
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DOI
高影响因子
Scientific Reports
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2024
·Vol. 14
·期 1
·1-16
·
IF 3.8
Li Siyao,Chen Quanlong,Zhang Yanglin,Wang Di,Hu Huiling,Li Jingjing,Zhang Chen,Zhang Jinming
Triptolide (TP), a major active component of the herb Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F, has been shown excellent pharmacological effects on rheumatoid arthritis. However, TP is prone to causing severe organ toxicity, which limits its clinical application. In recent years, microneedle technology has provided a new option for the treatment of arthritis due to its advantages of efficient local transdermal drug delivery. In this study, we constructed a microneedle platform to deliver TP locally to the joints, thereby enhancing TP penetration and reducing systemic toxicity. Additionally, we investigated whether acupoint drug delivery can produce a synergistic effect of needles and drugs. First, TP was loaded into microneedles using polyvinylpyrrolidone and hyaluronic acid as matrix materials. Next, we established a rat adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) model to evaluate the therapeutic effect of TP-loaded microneedles. The experiments showed that TP-loaded microneedles alleviated the AIA rats’ inflammatory response, joint swelling, and bone erosion. However, there was no significant difference in the therapeutic effect observed in the acupoint and non-acupoint administration groups. In conclusion, TP-loaded microneedles have the advantages of safety, convenience, and high efficacy over conventional administration routes, laying a foundation for the transdermal drug delivery system-based treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
研究领域:
药学
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生物医学工程
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中医
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风湿病学
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DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
CELL TRANSPLANTATION
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2022
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IF 4.139
Wan Wei,Qiuhong Yang,Jing Hu,Yong Yao,Huayuan Yang
The physicochemical stimulation of acupoints is a widespread treatment strategy for different diseases, such as sciatica. Its efficacy is mainly based on the temporal and spatial modulation of the physicochemical properties of the acupoints. The existing therapies based on the stimulation of acupoints have certain disadvantages. Therefore, in this study, injectable dexamethasone (DXM)- and magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles-loaded chitosan/β-glycerophosphate (CS/GP) thermal crosslinking hydrogels were prepared, thereby improving the performance of embedding materials. The sciatica rat models were established to compare the therapeutic effects of hydrogels and catgut. The DXM or Fe3O4-loaded CS/GP hydrogels were compared in terms of their gelation kinetics, release kinetics, magnetic responsiveness in-vitro, and biocompatibility as well as their analgesic effects on the chronic constriction injury of the sciatic nerve (CCI) rats in-vivo. The CS/GP/Fe3O4/DXM hydrogel showed comparable gelation kinetics and good magnetic responsiveness in-vitro. This hydrogel could relieve sciatica by reducing the expression levels of inflammatory factors in serum, inhibiting the p38MAPK (p38, mitogen-activated protein kinase) phosphorylation, and decreasing the expression level of the P2X4 receptor (P2X4R) in the spinal dorsal horn. In conclusion, the DXM or Fe3O4-loaded CS/GP hydrogels can be considered as a treatment option for the physiochemical stimulation therapy of acupoints to improve sciatica.
研究领域:
药理学
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材料科学
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神经科学
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生物医学工程
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中医
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DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
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2024
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IF 18.5
Yinqiu Yan,Liling Chen,Liwen Zheng,Gen Wang,Hongmei Zhang,Xing Feng,Yaxian Liu,Lan Li,Yu Shrike Zhang,Ping Ji,Ximu Zhang
Wound repair is a complex and dynamic process, involving stages of hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling. Standard methods currently used for clinical treatment of skin defects remain unsatisfying and alternative treatments have emerged including acupuncture mostly relying on the conventional needle method. It is applied sustained acupuncture therapy with bioengineered stem cell-loaded hydrogel microspheres (A-SGC), where the data gathered through transcriptomics, metabolomics, and single-cell omics analyses are used to construct a comprehensive multi-omics map underlying the wound regeneration process with such a therapy. Under the treatment of A-SGC, the interactions and Yin-Yang balance among fibroblasts, macrophages, endothelial cells, and keratinocytes facilitated skin regeneration instead of scarred healing. The genes related to the promotion of matrix synthesis and re-epithelialization played important roles in the transition from the inflammatory granulation phase to the stromal remodeling phase. This convergence use of hydrogel microspheres, stem cells, and sustained acupuncture therapy could have previously unattainable therapeutic implications for improved wound treatment.
研究领域:
生物医学工程
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再生医学
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伤口愈合
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干细胞生物学
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组学分析
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产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
危险品化学品经营许可证（带存储）