CHEMICAL, MORPHOLOGICAL & FUNCTIONAL STUDY OF MERIDIANS

化学、形态

• 批准号: 6766020
• 负责人: SHENG-XING MA
• 金额: $ 21.3万
• 依托单位: LUNDQUIST INSTITUTE FOR BIOMEDICAL INNOVATION AT HARBOR-UCLA MEDICAL CENTER
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2001
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2001-09-27 至 2007-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6766020
• 关键词: acupuncture /acupressure; alternative medicine; arginine; clinical research; electrical conductance; electrophysiology; electrostimulus; genetically modified animals; histochemistry /cytochemistry; human subject; laboratory mouse; laboratory rat; neuroanatomy; nitric oxide; nitric oxide synthase; norepinephrine; protein localization; skin

DESCRIPTION: (Adapted from the applicant's abstract) - The meridian system is the central theory of acupuncture, and serves as a guiding principle for diagnosis and treatment of many alternative therapies. Investigators have demonstrated in both humans and animals that acupoints/meridians possess characteristics of low electric resistance. The principal investigator has recently found that neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) protein levels and nitric oxide (NO) content are consistently increased in the three meridian skin regions containing low skin resistance points (LSRP) in rats. The principal investigator's histochemical examinations reveal that nNOS expression is markedly increased in nerve fibers, axons, neurons, and hair follicles in the meridians/acupoints. Consistent with the postulated role of NO, LSRP are manifested in rats and normal mice. In contrast, in nNOS knockout mice the resistance is increased. Furthermore, preliminary data show that exogenous NO reduces the resistance in LSRP while the responses are attenuated by blockade of noradrenergic function. The principal investigator hypothesizes that 1) NO is an important meridian chemical and enhanced nNOS expression in the skin is a histochemical marker of meridian/acupoint structures, and 2) NO increases NE release which locally facilitates sympathetic function and mediates the biophysical characteristics of acupoints/meridians. In view of the critical importance and unexplored territory of the meridian system, the major goals of this proposal are: 1) Are nNOS-NO levels selectively increased in the acupoints and/or in the meridian regions? 2) Does L-arginine-derived NO synthesis and acupuncture modify NO release in acupoints/meridians? 3) What are the distributions of nNOS expression in the LSRP and meridian lines? 4) Are nNOS expressions and the skin resistance abolished/reduced in the LSRP of nNOS knockout mice? And 5) does L-arginine-derived NO synthesis increase turnover of NE that mediates biophysical characteristics of acupoints/meridians? The proposed studies will examine localization of nNOS expression, combined with structural analysis of the skin tissues with or without LSRP/meridians detected by electrical methods. Quantification of nNOS protein, mRNA, NE, and NO metabolites will be integrated with neuropharmacological manipulations and electrophysiological examination of LSRP to test the hypotheses in rats, genetically-altered mice, and humans. The results should advance the understanding of the roles of nNOS-NO on a neurochemical, morphological, and functional basis for meridians/acupoints, and yield new insights regarding the effects of NO on noradrenergic activation that mediates the biophysical characteristics of acupoints/meridians.

描述：（改编自申请人的摘要）-经络系统是 针灸的核心理论，并作为针灸的指导原则 许多替代疗法的诊断和治疗。调查人员有 在人类和动物身上都证明了穴位/经络具有 低电阻的特点。主要研究者有 最近发现神经元一氧化氮合酶（nNOS）蛋白水平和 皮肤三经中一氧化氮（NO）含量持续增加 大鼠中含有低皮肤电阻点（LSRP）的区域。校长 研究人员的组织化学检查表明 nNOS 表达 神经纤维、轴突、神经元和毛囊显着增加 经络/穴位。与 NO 的假定作用一致，LSRP 是 在大鼠和正常小鼠中均有表现。相比之下，在 nNOS 敲除小鼠中 抵抗力增加。此外，初步数据表明，外源性NO 降低 LSRP 的阻力，同时响应因封锁而减弱 去甲肾上腺素能功能。主要研究者假设 1) 否 是一种重要的经络化学物质，增强皮肤中的 nNOS 表达是 经络/穴位结构的组织化学标记，2) NO 增加 NE 释放局部促进交感功能并介导 穴位/经络的生物物理特征。鉴于关键 经络系统的重要性和未开发的领域，主要目标 该建议是： 1) 穴位中的 nNOS-NO 水平是否选择性升高 和/或在经络区域？ 2) L-精氨酸衍生的NO合成和 针灸修改穴位/经络中NO的释放？ 3）有哪些 LSRP 和经线中 nNOS 表达的分布？ 4) 是 nNOS nNOS LSRP 中的表达和皮肤电阻消除/降低 基因敲除小鼠？ 5) L-精氨酸衍生的 NO 合成是否会增加 NE 介导穴位/经络的生物物理特征？这 拟议的研究将检查 nNOS 表达的定位，并结合 对检测或未检测 LSRP/经络的皮肤组织进行结构分析 通过电学方法。 nNOS 蛋白、mRNA、NE 和 NO 的定量 代谢物将与神经药理学操作相结合 LSRP 的电生理检查以测试大鼠的假设， 转基因小鼠和人类。结果应该会推动 了解 nNOS-NO 对神经化学、形态学和神经功能的作用 经络/腧穴的功能基础，并产生关于经络/腧穴的新见解 NO 对介导生物物理的去甲肾上腺素能激活的影响 穴位/经络的特征。