Tracing Mercox Injected at Acupuncture Points Under the Protocol of Partial Body Macerations in Mice

Abstract

We used for the first time a vascular casting material to take advantage of a simple tracing procedure and to isolate the peculiar features of acupuncture point injections. The polymer Mercox was injected into the skin of a dead mouse at acupuncture points along the bladder meridian lines. After a partial maceration of the whole body with a potassium-hydroperoxide solution, we anatomized it under a stereomicroscope to trace the injected Mercox. Many organs were checked to determine whether or not they contained some Mercox tracing. Connections between the injection sites along the acupuncture points were observed. Two to three layers of Mercox in a plate shape were found under the skin at the acupuncture points, and Mercox travelled throughout the adipose tissue, the fascia, and the parietal and visceral serous membranes inside the organ's parenchyma. The casting material Mercox used with a modified partial maceration procedure is a promising method for visualizing the routes of the meridian system and the primo vascular system. The routes for Mercox are different from those of the blood and lymphatic vessels.