ABSTRACT
Objective: To observe the efficacy of acupoint sticking with Jianpi Tongjing Zhitong ointment in the treatment of functional dyspepsia due to liver-qi stagnation and spleen deficiency and its effect on serum 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and ghrelin contents. Methods: One hundred patients with functional dyspepsia due to liver-qi stagnation and spleen deficiency were divided into a treatment group and a control group by the random number table method, with 50 cases in each group. The treatment group received acupoint sticking with Jianpi Tongjing Zhitong ointment and the control group was treated with mosapride citrate orally. Patients were treated for 4 weeks as a course. The therapeutic efficacy was compared after one-course treatment and the differences in gastric emptying rate, and serum 5-HT and ghrelin contents between groups were compared before and after treatment. Results: The total effective rate was 79.6％ in the control group and 89.4％ in the treatment group, showing significantly different between groups (P<0.05). After treatment, the gastric emptying rate and serum ghrelin content of the two groups increased significantly, and the serum 5-HT content decreased significantly, the intra-group differences were significant (all P<0.01). After treatment, the gastric emptying rate and serum ghrelin content were significantly higher in the treatment group than those in the control group, while the serum 5-HT was significant lower in the treatment group, the inter-group differences were significant (all P<0.05). A negative correlation (r=-0.59) was observed between serum 5-HT content and gastric emptying rate, and a positive correlation (r=0.64) was observed between serum ghrelin content and gastric emptying rate, showing statistical significance (all P<0.01). Conclusion: Acupoint sticking with Jianpi Tongjing Zhitong ointment has a remarkable clinical efficacy in treating patients with functional dyspepsia due to liver-qi stagnation and spleen deficiency and is able to influence the secretion of serum 5-HT and ghrelin. Improving the gastrointestinal motility through the regulation of related brain-gut peptides is suggested as an underlying mechanism for this therapy.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To probe into an effective method for treatment of endometriosis (EMs) and the mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Rat EMs model was established and they were randomly divided into a model group, an acup-moxibustion group, a TCM group, an acupuncture and medicine group, with a control group set. The acup-moxibustion group were treated with electroacupuncture at "Xuehai (SP 10)", "Sanyinjiao (SP 6)" and moxibustion at "Guanyuan (CV 4)"; the TCM group were treated with stomach perfusion of modified Mojie Tablet in normal saline; the acupuncture and medicine group were treated with the above two methods; both the control group and the model group were bound and treated with stomach perfusion of saline. After treatment of 35 days, the greatest diameter of the ectopic tissue was measured in the rats, pathological observation of the ectopic tissue was made and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) expression in the ectopic tissue was determined.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The greatest diameter of ectopic tissue and MMP-2 expression in the ectopic tissue in the acupuncture and medicine group were significantly lower than those in the model group, the acup-moxibustion group and the TCM group (P < 0.05); and the ectopic endometrium trended to atrophy, and with necrosis of some epithelial cells.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Combination of acupuncture with medicine has a better therapeutic effect on endometriosis and down-regulates the abnormal increase of MMP-2 level to inhibit the invasion of ectopic tissue to extracellular matrix, so as to reduce the ectopic tissue, hence cure of endometriosis.</p>