Understanding Qi Running in the Meridians as Interstitial Fluid Flowing via Interstitial Space of Low Hydraulic Resistance

According to the classic theory of Chinese medicine, pain is due to the blockage in meridian channels, and acupuncture was invented to treat pain by “dredging” the channels. To test the theory, a hyperalgesia model was made by injecting hydrogel into low hydraulic resistance channel (LHRC) in 12 anaesthetized minipigs. Tail-flick threshold and ear-flick threshold were measured using a thermal radiation dolorimeter, and relative flick threshold (RFT) was calculated. Hydraulic resistance (HR) was measured with a biological HR measuring instrument on low HR points on LHRC and on control points with higher HR located outside LHRC; readings were recorded before, during, and after acupuncture treatment. RFT decreased after blocking the LRHC and was still significantly decreased 2 days and 4 days afterwards. No significant changes occurred when injecting saline into the same points or injecting gel into points outside the channel. Subsequent acupuncture reduced HR on LRHC along meridians but had no significant effect on sites with higher HR located outside LHRC. One of the mechanisms of action of acupuncture treatment for chronic pain may be that acupuncture affects peripheral tissue by reducing the HR in LHRC along meridians, improving the flow of interstitial fluid and removing algogenic substances and thereby relieving pain.

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Interstitial Fluid Pressure: II. Pressure-Volume Curves of Interstitial Space

Circulation Research ◽

10.1161/01.res.16.5.452 ◽

1965 ◽

Vol 16 (5) ◽

pp. 452-460 ◽

Cited By ~ 207

Author(s):

ARTHUR C. GUYTON

Keyword(s):

Interstitial Fluid ◽

Fluid Pressure ◽

Interstitial Space ◽

Interstitial Fluid Pressure

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Classic and Modern Meridian Studies: A Review of Low Hydraulic Resistance Channels along Meridians and Their Relevance for Therapeutic Effects in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine ◽

10.1155/2015/410979 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2015 ◽

pp. 1-14 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Wei-Bo Zhang ◽

Guang-Jun Wang ◽

Kjell Fuxe

Keyword(s):

Chinese Medicine ◽

Traditional Chinese Medicine ◽

Hydraulic Resistance ◽

Human Life ◽

Chemical Transport ◽

Therapeutic Effects ◽

Volume Transmission ◽

The Core ◽

Core Components ◽

Low Hydraulic Resistance

Meridian theory is one of the core components of the theory of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It gives an integral explanation for how human life works, how a disease forms, and how a therapy acts to treat a disease. If we do not understand the meridians, it is hard to understand the TCM. People in China and abroad had been working hard for 50 years, trying to understand the meridians; then 15 years ago a breakthrough idea appeared when we realized that they are low resistance fluid channels where various chemical and physical transports take place. The channel is called low hydraulic resistance channel (LHRC) and the chemical transport is named volume transmission (VT). This review aims to give a full understanding of the essence of meridian and its works on the therapies of TCM.

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Comparison of Acupuncture Effect on Blood Perfusion between Needling Nonacupoint on Meridian and Needling Nonacupoint off Meridian

Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine ◽

10.1155/2013/426052 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2013 ◽

pp. 1-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Wei-Bo Zhang ◽

Ling-Ling Wang ◽

Heng-Hui Xie ◽

Hong Li ◽

Yu-Ying Tian

Keyword(s):

Mast Cells ◽

Hydraulic Resistance ◽

Blood Perfusion ◽

Nerve Terminals ◽

Change Rate ◽

Bladder Meridian ◽

Ratio Change ◽

Acupuncture Effect ◽

Low Hydraulic Resistance

To verify the ancient theory of rather missing the acupoint than missing the meridian, acupuncture at nonacupoint on meridian and acupuncture at nonacupoint off meridian were performed, respectively. The blood perfusion (BP) on the calf around bladder meridian area was measured with a laser Doppler perfusion imager before, during, and after acupuncture. The whole scanning field was divided into seven subareas, and mean BP on each area was calculated. The ratio of mean BP between a subarea and a reference subarea was gotten, and then the change rate was calculated as ratio change rate (RCR). The results showed that RCR on bladder meridian area and around Chengshan (BL57) during or after acupuncture at nonacupoint on meridian was significantly higher than that at nonacupoint off meridian, which supports the ancient theory. Such differences may be attributable to some factors that can facilitate the signals transmission and produce a better acupuncture effect, such as richer nerve terminals, blood vessels, and mast cells which can produce stronger signals on the acupoints and the low hydraulic resistance channel along meridians which plays a role of signal transmitting channel to get a better effect of acupuncture.

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Exocrine interstitial insulin and somatostatin in the perfused dog pancreas

AJP Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajpgi.1993.264.4.g728 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 264 (4) ◽

pp. G728-G734 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

A. Nakagawa ◽

E. Samols ◽

J. I. Stagner

Keyword(s):

Interstitial Fluid ◽

Interstitial Space ◽

Dorsal Lobe ◽

Sigma Delta ◽

Retrograde Perfusion ◽

Islet Hormones ◽

Dog Pancreas ◽

Acinar Tissue

To determine whether the islet-acinar relationship is mediated microvascularly or by diffusion from islets, isolated dog pancreata were perfused anterogradely (n = 4) or retrogradely (n = 5). Interstitial fluid (ISF) was sampled utilizing a microdialysis technique. Three to five microdialysis probes were placed in the dorsal lobe of each pancreas. Insulin and somatostatin were measured in dialysate, as well as in perfusate, under both resting (5.6 mM glucose) and stimulated (12.2 mM glucose plus 20 mM arginine) conditions. During the stimulative period, retrograde ISF responses were markedly less than anterograde responses, whereas perfusate (intravascular) anterograde and retrograde responses were not different; ratios of the sum of increments above basal levels of ISF concentrations to the sum of increments of perfusate concentrations (sigma delta ISF/sigma delta perfusate) of insulin and somatostatin during anterograde vs. retrograde perfusion were 35.1 +/- 8.8 (SE; n = 9) vs. 13.8 +/- 2.8% (n = 10) and 37.1 +/- 14.2 (n = 7) vs. 8.5 +/- 4.2% (n = 9), respectively (both, P < 0.05). These data strongly suggest that these islet hormones may be delivered to the exocrine interstitial space via a directed microcirculation from the islet to the acinar tissue.

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Intercompartmental fluid shifts after dextran infusion in rabbits

Journal of Applied Physiology ◽

10.1152/jappl.1983.54.6.1630 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 54 (6) ◽

pp. 1630-1634

Author(s):

V. Mohsenin ◽

A. B. DuBois

Keyword(s):

Plasma Volume ◽

Interstitial Fluid ◽

Venous Pressure ◽

Control Period ◽

Fluid Pressure ◽

Interstitial Space ◽

Interstitial Fluid Pressure ◽

Appreciable Amount ◽

Plasma Sodium ◽

Fluid Shifts

Intercompartmental fluid shifts were studied in New Zealand White rabbits after infusion of hyperoncotic dextran solution with a mean molecular weight of 64,200 and osmolality of 220 mosmol/kg H2O. In comparison with the control period, it was found that 1) plasma volume increased by a net volume of 83 +/- 12 ml; 2) systemic blood pressure increased slightly but significantly and central venous pressure increased markedly (this was accompanied by a reduction of interstitial fluid pressure from a control of -1 to -8 cmH2O after dextran); 3) plasma volume expansion was not accompanied by plasma sodium and chloride dilution when they were expressed in meq/kg of plasma water; and 4) plasma osmolality did not change after dextran infusions. The increase in plasma volume unaccompanied by any change in plasma sodium, chloride, or osmolality may be explained by a transcapillary fluid shift from the interstitial space to the bloodstream caused by an increase in plasma oncotic pressure. Because the more negative interstitial fluid pressure did not seem to attract any appreciable amount of fluid from the cells, we concluded that the interstitial space did not hydrodynamically couple the intravascular space to the cellular compartment.

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Drug Transport by Fluid Motion

Drug Delivery ◽

10.1093/oso/9780195085891.003.0011 ◽

2001 ◽

Author(s):

W. Mark Saltzman

Keyword(s):

Drug Transport ◽

Interstitial Fluid ◽

Fluid Motion ◽

Convective Transport ◽

Interstitial Space ◽

The Body ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Drug Molecules ◽

Molecular Movement ◽

The Brain

The rate of molecular movement by diffusion decreases dramatically with distance, and is generally inadequate for transport over distances greater than 100 μm. The movement of molecules over distances greater than 100 μm occurs in specialized compartments in the body: blood circulates through arteries and veins; interstitial fluid collects in lymphatic vessels before returning to the blood; cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) percolates through the central nervous system (CNS) in the brain ventricles and subarachnoid space. In these systems, molecules move primarily by bulk flow, or convection. Diffusive transport is driven by differences in concentration; convective transport is driven by differences in hydrostatic and osmotic pressure. This chapter introduces the principles of drug distribution by pressure-driven transport. The elaborate network of arteries, capillaries, and veins that carry blood throughout the body are described first in this chapter. Hydrostatic pressure within the blood vasculature drives fluid through the vessel wall (recall Equation 5-28) and into the extravascular space of tissues. Fluid flow through the interstitial space is not well understood, although the importance of interstitial flows in moving drug molecules through tissue is beginning to be appreciated. Engineering approaches for analyzing fluid flows in the interstitium are described in the second section of the chapter. Finally, the specialized systems for returning interstitial fluid to the blood are essential for clearance of molecules from the interstitial space; therefore, the chapter also provides a description of the dynamics of lymph flow in the periphery and CSF production and circulation in the brain. Our bodies appear, from the outside, to be solid masses that are slow to change, but, just beneath the surface, is a torrent of fluid motion. Blood moves at high velocity throughout the body within an interconnected and highly branched network of vessels. The cross-sectional area changes significantly along the network, and blood flow to the periphery emerges from the heart within a single vessel, which branches and rebranches to distribute blood to every tissue and organ.

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Penetration of Moxifloxacin into Peripheral Compartments in Humans

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy ◽

10.1128/aac.43.10.2345 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 43 (10) ◽

pp. 2345-2349 ◽

Cited By ~ 108

Author(s):

Markus Müller ◽

Heino Staß ◽

Martin Brunner ◽

Jan G. Möller ◽

Edith Lackner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Interstitial Fluid ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Interstitial Space ◽

Crossover Fashion ◽

Bacterial Strains ◽

Time Curve ◽

Skin Blister ◽

Plasma Fraction ◽

Drug Concentrations ◽

Tract Infections

ABSTRACT To characterize the penetration of moxifloxacin (BAY 12-8039) into peripheral target sites, the present study aimed at measuring unbound moxifloxacin concentrations in the interstitial space fluid by means of microdialysis, an innovative clinical sampling technique. In addition, moxifloxacin concentrations were measured in cantharides-induced skin blisters, saliva, and capillary plasma and compared to total- and free-drug concentrations in venous plasma. For this purpose, 12 healthy volunteers received moxifloxacin in an open randomized crossover fashion either as a single oral dose of 400 mg or as a single intravenous infusion of 400 mg over 60 min. An almost-complete equilibration of the free unbound plasma fraction of moxifloxacin with the interstitial space fluid was observed, with mean area under the concentration-time curve (AUC)interstitial fluid/AUCtotal-plasma ratios ranging from 0.38 to 0.55 and mean AUCinterstitial fluid/AUCfree-plasma ratios ranging from 0.81 to 0.86. The skin blister concentration/plasma concentration ratio reached values above 1.5 after 24 h, indicating a preferential penetration of moxifloxacin into inflamed lesions. The moxifloxacin concentrations in saliva and capillary blood were similar to the corresponding levels in plasma. Our data show that moxifloxacin concentrations attained in the interstitial space fluid in humans and in skin blister fluid following single doses of 400 mg exceed the values for the MIC at which 90% of isolates are inhibited for most clinically relevant bacterial strains, notably including penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae. These findings support the use of moxifloxacin for the treatment of soft tissue and respiratory tract infections in humans.

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Pathological Changes in Internal Organs after Blocking Low Hydraulic Resistance Channels along the Stomach Meridian in Pigs

Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine ◽

10.1155/2013/935687 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2013 ◽

pp. 1-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Wen-Ting Zhou ◽

Shu-Yong Jia ◽

Yu-Qing Zhang ◽

Yu-Ying Tian ◽

Guang-Jun Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hydraulic Resistance ◽

The State ◽

Pathological Changes ◽

Internal Organs ◽

Stomach Meridian ◽

Normal States ◽

Low Hydraulic Resistance ◽

Insight Into ◽

Experimental Pigs

Objective.The correlation between meridians and organs (Zang-fu) is an important aspect of meridian theory. The objective of this paper is to investigate the pathological changes in the organs resulting from blocking low hydraulic resistance channel (LHRC) along the stomach meridian by injecting gel in pigs so as to offer some insight into the correlation between meridians and internal organs.Methods.Four white piglets and twelve black minipigs were divided into four batches and were observed in different periods. Each batch included two pairs of pigs and each pair matched two pigs with similar conditions among which gel was injected into 6~8 low hydraulic resistance points along the the stomach meridian in the experimental pig and the same amount of saline was injected into the same points in the control pig. The state of stomach and intestine was observed 6~10 weeks after the blocking model was developed.Results.The results showed that there were bloated stomach or/and intestine in all the experimental pigs while there were normal states in seven control pigs except one dead during the experiment.Conclusion.The findings confirmed that the blockage of LHRC along the stomach meridian can influence the state of stomach and intestine, leading to a distension on stomach or/and intestine.

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