Korean Journal of Acupuncture

Society for Meridian and Acupoint (경락경혈학회)
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The Association between Mast Cell Distribution and Acupoint Specificity: A Comprehensive Review

경혈에서의 비만세포 분포특성에 대한 연구 고찰

  • Ji, JeongYeon (Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, Kyung Hee University) ;
  • Bae, Sun-Jeong (Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, Kyung Hee University) ;
  • Oh, Ju-Young (Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, Kyung Hee University) ;
  • Jung, Hyuk-Sang (College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University) ;
  • Park, Hi-Joon (Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, Kyung Hee University)
  • 지정연 (경희대학교 침구경락융합연구센터) ;
  • 배선정 (경희대학교 침구경락융합연구센터) ;
  • 오주영 (경희대학교 침구경락융합연구센터) ;
  • 정혁상 (경희대학교 한의과대학) ;
  • 박히준 (경희대학교 침구경락융합연구센터)
  • Received : 2020.08.20
  • Accepted : 2020.09.21
  • Published : 2020.09.27
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Abstract

Objectives : Mast cells, the multifunctional immune cells which can be activated by various stimulations, have been in the limelight recently at the fields of acupuncture research. This study aimed to investigate the association between the distribution of mast cell and acupoint specificity. We focused on the characteristics of mast cell distribution of acupoints in normal, pathologically sensitized, and acupoint-stimulated state. Methods : Literature searches were performed on PubMed and EMBASE for dates ranging to February 2019, by using terms "acupuncture", "moxibustion", "acupoint", "mast cell". Finally, 18 papers were collected by inclusion and exclusion criteria. To assess the quality of included studies, modified SYRCLE's risk of bias tool for animal studies was used. Results : Overall, the studies showed that the number of the mast cells was higher in acupoints than non-acupoints. After pathological sensitization, increasing tendency towards the mast cell number was reported in acupoints. The increase of mast cells was also observed after acupuncture or moxibustion. However, when the acupoint stimulation was repeated for several days in pathological models, the results did not show consistent tendency. In quality assessments, most of the studies showed unclear risk of bias. Conclusions : The studies showed a consistent trend about the association with mast cell distribution and acupoint specificity. However, we could not certainly affirm the relationship due to insufficient qualities of included studies. Not only the distribution but also the functions should be considered in further researches to identify the relationship between mast cells and acupuncture effect.

Keywords

References

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