Abstract
Acupuncture and electroacupuncture have been used to improve the brain and motor functions of poststroke patients, and aspirin is used for the prevention of stroke recurrence. Our hypothesis is that acupuncture and electroacupuncture treatments may interact with aspirin in terms of pharmacokinetics via affecting the brain blood flow. The aim of this study is to investigate the potential interactions of acupuncture and electroacupuncture on the pharmacokinetics of aspirin. The effects of acupuncture treatments on brain blood flow were measured by the laser Doppler blood flow imager. The parallel pharmacokinetic study design included three groups: control, acupuncture, and electroacupuncture groups. Two acupoints, namely, Quchi (LI 11) and Zusanli (ST 36), were needled and stimulated electronically in anaesthetized rats. The concentrations of aspirin and its metabolite, salicylic acid were determined by microdialysis and HPLC analysis after aspirin administration (30 mg/kg, i.v.). The brain blood flow responded to electroacupuncture treatments, but the pharmacokinetic parameters of aspirin and salicylic acid in blood and brain were not significantly changed by acupuncture and electroacupuncture treatments. This study may, in part, offer some evidence to support the contention that there is no significant interaction for the combination of aspirin with acupuncture or electroacupuncture.
Highlights
Acupuncture, as a part of traditional Chinese medicine, has been used internationally for treatment of many specific diseases, such as hemiplegia and other sequels of brain disease, headache, hypertension, and insomnia according to World Health Organization (WHO) reports [1]
The aim of our work is to evaluate the possible interactions between acupuncture and pharmacokinetics of aspirin
Aspirin and salicylic acid were separated by acidic mobile phases which were adjusted to acidity with 10 mM KH2PO4/acetonitrile (71 : 29, v/v, pH 2.5 adjusted by orthophosphoric acid) [24]
Summary
Acupuncture, as a part of traditional Chinese medicine, has been used internationally for treatment of many specific diseases, such as hemiplegia and other sequels of brain disease, headache, hypertension, and insomnia according to World Health Organization (WHO) reports [1]. Strokes and their sequelae are another major indication of acupuncture, and early treatment of paresis after stroke has been proved highly effective [2]. This blood flow is an important supporting factor to drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion, so if the blood flow changes, the pharmacokinetic parameters of drug might be affected
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