Antipruritic effect of cold stimulation at the Quchi Acupoint (LI11) in Mice

BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Wen-Chi Chen¹  Yi-Hung Chen²  Jaung-Geng Lin¹  San-Yuan Wu²  Jui-Lung Shen³  Yu-Chen Lee¹  Ein-Yiao Shen¹  Huey-Yi Chen¹  Yung-Hsiang Chen¹  Kao-Sung Tsai⁴ 

[1] Division of Chinese Acupuncture, Departments of Dermatology, Medical Research, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Urology, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan;School of Chinese Medicine, Graduate Institute of Integrated Medicine, Graduate Institute of Acupuncture Science, College of Chinese Medicine, Research Center for Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan;Center for General Education, Feng Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan;Department of Applied Cosmetology, Master Program of Cosmetic Science, Hungkuang University, Taichung, Taiwan

关键词: Transient receptor potential;    Quchi (LI11);    Itch;    Cold stimulation;    Acupuncture;   

Others  :  1086675
DOI  :  10.1186/1472-6882-14-341

 received in 2014-06-12, accepted in 2014-09-16,  发布年份 2014

【 摘 要 】

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.

【 授权许可】

   
2014 Tsai et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

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