Review of Needling- or Moxibustion-prohibited Points in the Illustrated Manual for the Practice of Acupuncture and Moxibustion with the Help of a Bronze Figure bearing Acupuncture Points and in The Classic of Supplementing Life with Acupuncture and Moxibustion

Abstract

Kang-Pa Lee, Jin-Young MoonDivision of Bio Science, College of Science and Technology, Dongguk UniversityDept. of Meridian & Acupoint, College of Oriental Medicine, Dongguk UniversityAbstractObjectives : The gnarl of Pinus densiflora, called Songjeol in Korea, has been used as a medicinal herb for the treatment of inflammatory-related diseases such as arthralgia, myalgia and bruise. However, the molecular actions and mechanisms have not been clearly investigated. The aim of this study was to clarify the anti-inflammatory activity of Pinus densiflora gnarl pharmacopuncture (PDGP) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells.Methods : Cytotoxicity was assessed by XTT assay. The amount of nitric oxide (NO) production was determined by nitrite assay. The mRNA expressions of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) were analyzed by RT-PCR. Reactive oxidative species (ROS) generation was measured using the fluorescence microscopy. In addition, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and redox factor-1 (Ref-1) protein expressions were detected by Western blotting. Results : PDGP inhibited NO production and ROS generation in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. At the mRNA level, PDGP suppressed IL-1β, IL-6 and COX-2 expression. On the other hand, PDGP induced HO-1 mRNA expression. Furthermore, PDGP suppressed iNOS and Ref-1 protein expression.Conclusions : This result suggests that PDGP can act as a suppressor agent on NO and iNOS through induction of HO-1, and play an useful role in blocking inflammatory responses.Key words : Pinus densiflora gnarl, pharmacopuncture, nitric oxide, heme oxygenase-1