Acupoint therapy on diabetes mellitus and its common chronic complications: a review of its mechanisms
Open accessAbstract
Acupoint therapy is one of the therapeutic means in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) concerning acupoints and meridians, including manual acupuncture, electroacupuncture, moxibustion, external application, acupoint injection, and catgut embedding. In the treatment of diabetes and its common chronic complications, acupoint therapy has proved to have specific curative effect and notable advantages. Single or combined with western medicine, it has superior efficacy and less side effects than western medicine alone. Studying its mechanism can provide experimental basis for clinical treatment. Relevant researches in the recent 5 years mainly focused on the mechanism of electroacupuncture, point injection, catgut embedding, etc. in the treatment of diabetes and common diabetic complications such as neuropathy, nephropathy, and hepatopathy. The possible theories involve the regulation of nerve conduction, signal pathways, hormone level, protein expression, oxidative stress level, structure restoration, etc. The most studied acupoints are Zusanli (ST36), Shenshu (BL23), Sanyinjiao (SP6), Yishu (EX-B3), and Zhongwan (CV12). However, most of the studies have been based on diabetes model rats rather than clinical trials. Moreover, the mechanism of acupoint therapy treating other chronic complications like diabetic retinopathy and that of other effective methods like pressing ear with beans, auricular points plaster therapy, and external application remain unclear. Therefore, this aspect still awaits further research.
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Studies have suggested that acupuncture's mechanism on diabetes may be related to adjusting nerve conduction, modulating signal pathways, regulating hormonal level, and ameliorating oxidative stress.
“Although the underlying mechanism of acupuncture on diabetes remains unclear, studies have suggested that it may be related to adjust nerve conduction, modulate signal pathways, regulate hormonal level, and ameliorate oxidative stress level (200).”
From Diabetes and Sarcopenic Obesity: Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Treatments (2020) · cites this paper as [200]
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- Authors
- Feng, Y., Fang, Y., Wang, Y., & Hao, Y.
- Affiliations
- Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Hao, Yiming
- Venue
- BioMed Research International
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2018-10-22
- Volume
- 2018
- Pages
- 1-9
- ISSN
- 1110-7243 (ISSN-L)
- 2314-6133
- 2314-6141
- PMC
- PMC6217896
- OpenAlex
- W2896174320
- Cited by
- 91
- References
- 25
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 6
- FWCI
- 1.94
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- BioMed Research International (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- Shanghai Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning Project (20164Y0279, HJTY-2018-D12, J1103607, 2018KCZ17)
- Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (20164Y0279, HJTY-2018-D12, J1103607, 2018KCZ17)
- National Basic Science Talent Training Fund Project (20164Y0279, HJTY-2018-D12, J1103607, 2018KCZ17)
- Shanghai Municipal College Students Innovation Project (20164Y0279, HJTY-2018-D12, J1103607, 2018KCZ17)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Acupuncture Treatment Research Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Traditional Chinese Medicine Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Healthcare and Venom Research
- Keywords
- acupoint therapy, diabetes mellitus, chronic diabetic complications, electroacupuncture, acupoint injection, catgut embedding, diabetic neuropathy, diabetic nephropathy, Zusanli (ST36), Shenshu (BL 23), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Zhongwan (CV 12), oxidative stress, nerve conduction, signaling pathways, traditional Chinese medicine
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Chronic Disease, Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental, Hormones, Humans, Protein Biosynthesis, Signal Transduction, Acupuncture Points, Diabetes Complications, Rats
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