Asthma gets help from injection-acupuncture

CM NEWS – Injection of a traditional Chinese medicine herbal extract into a widely used acupuncture point may have an anti-inflammatory and immune-regulatory effect on bronchial allergic asthma, according to a new South Korean study.

The herb used in the study was perilla seed (Perillae fructus; or 紫蘇, Zisu in Chinese; or Shiso in Japanese). Injection of the herbal extract into an acupuncture point (herbal acupuncture) is a therapeutic technique combining both acupuncture and herbal treatment.

The study was led by researchers at the Department of Acupuncture, College of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon University, South Korea.

In Chinese medicine, perilla has been shown to stimulate interferon activity and thus, the body’s immune system.

The Japanese often eat perilla with sashimi (sliced raw fish) or cut into thin strips in salads, spaghetti, and meat and fish dishes. It is also used as a flavourful herb in a variety of dishes, even as a pizza topping (initially it was used in place of basil).

Perilla seed has been used to treat respiratory diseases in Chinese medicine. According to TCM theory, perilla seeds enters the lung meridian, arrests coughing and wheezing with copious phlegm, and treats exhalation difficulties and stiffness in the chest. The leaves of perilla (Perilla frutescens) have shown a suppressive effect on type 1 allergies. However, perilla seed has not yet been investigated for use on allergic diseases.
Recent studies have shown that perilla seed polyphenols regulate allergic diseases due to 5-lipoxygenase inhibitory activity and suppression of histamine release from mast cells.

The functional compounds of perilla seed extract are flavonoid aglycons such as luteolin, apigenin, chrysoeriol, and resemarinic acid. It is known that the antioxidative activity and lipoxygenase inhibitory activity of flavonoid aglycons are stronger than that of corresponding glycosides.

Studies have shown that perilla seed extract inhibits the growth of cariogenic and periodontopathogenic microorganisms which in turn reduces plaque formation and acid production, helping to prevent dental carries.

Acupuncture and herbs are widely used to treat bronchial asthma – and according to TCM theory – by clearing the pathogenic factors and reinforcing the body’s resistance.

An important acupoint, zusanli (足三里), was investigated by the researchers in the current study. Zusanli is one of the most widely used acupuncture points, particularly for immune system regulation.

Zusanli is on the foot Yangming stomach meridian. This acupoint is known to strengthen the vital energy (qi). The ‘vital energy’ here means not only stomach qi, even though this acupoint belongs to the stomach meridian, but also the general qi in the whole body.

For this reason, zusanli is used to treat various diseases in different parts of the body or general symptoms in the whole body, including deficiency and weakness.

According to the book Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion, zusanli is listed to treat: gastric pain, vomiting, hiccup, abdominal distention, borborygmus, diarrhea, dysentery, constipation, mastitis, enteritis, aching of the knee joint and leg, beriberi, edema, cough, asthma, emaciation due to general deficiency, indigestion, apoplexy, hemiplegia, dizziness, insomnia, mania. (for a detailed explanation of zusanli, check here.)

Asthmatic mice were divided into 6 groups – both experimental and control. The experimental group was treated with perilla seed extract plus the acupuncture while the controlled ones received saline injection or just acupuncture. The treatments went on for 8 weeks.

According to the researchers:

Asthma is generally regarded as a T-cell mediated disease. Allergens cause the differentiation of naive T- cells into Th2 cells, which then secrete cytokines such as IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13 (3).

IL-4, which is pivotal in the pathogenesis of allergic disorders, acts on B cells to facilitate IgE production. Increased IgE production in response to common environmental antigens is the hallmark of atopic diseases such as bronchial asthma.

IL-4 also induces the rolling and adhesion of circulating eosinophils to endothelial cells. Therefore, inhibitors of the IL-4 signaling pathway have been suggested as therapeutic targets.

The results showed that perilla seed extracts + acupuncture at zusanli significantly decreased cytokins IL-4. It is inferred that the treatment may have an anti-allergic effect on allergic bronchial asthma by suppressing IL-4 secretion; and thus reduce eosinophil inflitration into the lungs by reducing the adhesion of circulating esoinophils to endothelial cells, the researchers wrote.

The researchers also found that even by applying acupuncture at zusanli ONLY may suppress asthma, though not as effective as the injection-acupuncture treatment. This result suggests that the mechanical stimulation of zusanli has a beneficial effect on bronchial allergic asthma.

“In summary, we hypothesize that PF-HA may be applicable to bronchial allergic asthma to reduce airway obstruction by inhibiting cellular infiltration and collagen accumulation in the lung, and to relieve airway hyper-responsiveness by reducing IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 and IgE,” the researchers conclude.

“Our data further suggest that PF-HA has a therapeutic effect on bronchial allergic asthma by regulating the immune system (suppressing excess Th2 activity and rebalancing Th1/Th2 in the immune system) and controlling eosinophilic inflammation in the airway. The anti-inflammatory effect of PF-HA may result from its immuno-regulatory effect on Th1 and Th2 activity.”

Brain Cancer

What is brain cancer?

Brain cancer is a disease of the brain in which cancer cells (malignant) arise in the brain tissue. Cancer cells grow to form a mass of cancer tissue (tumor) that interferes with brain functions such as muscle control, sensation, memory, and other normal body functions. Tumors composed of cancer cells are called malignant tumors, and those composed of noncancerous cells are called benign tumors. Cancer cells that develop from brain tissue are called primary brain tumors while tumors that spread from other body sites to the brain are termed metastatic brain tumors. Statistics suggest that brain cancer occurs infrequently and is likely to develop in about 22,000 new people per year in 2009, with about 13,000 deaths as estimated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

Not all brain tumors are alike, even if they arise from the same type of brain tissue. Tumors are assigned a grade depending on how the cells in the tumor appear microscopically. The grade also provides insight as to the cell’s growth rate. NCI lists the following grades:

• Grade I: The tissue is benign. The cells look nearly like normal brain cells, and they grow slowly.
• Grade II: The tissue is malignant. The cells look less like normal cells than do the cells in a grade I tumor.
• Grade III: The malignant tissue has cells that look very different from normal cells. The abnormal cells are actively growing (anaplastic).
• Grade IV: The malignant tissue has cells that look most abnormal and tend to grow quickly.

The most common primary brain tumors are usually named for the brain tissue type from which they originally developed. These are gliomas, meningiomas, pituitary adenomas, vestibular schwannomas, and primitive neuroectodermal tumors (medulloblastomas). Gliomas have several subtypes which include astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas, ependymomas, and choroid plexus papillomas. When the grades are coupled with the tumor name, it gives doctors a better understanding about the severity of the brain cancer. For example, a grade III (anaplastic) glioma is an aggressive tumor, while an acoustic neuroma is a grade I benign tumor. However, even benign tumors can cause serious problems if they grow big enough to cause increased intracranial pressure or obstruct vascular structures or cerebrospinal fluid flow.

What is metastatic brain cancer?

Cancer cells that develop in a body organ such as the lung (primary cancer tissue type) can spread via the bloodstream or lymphatic system to other body organs such as the brain. Tumors formed by such cancer cells that spread (metastasize) to other organs are called metastatic tumors. Metastatic brain cancer is a mass of cells (tumor) that originated in another body organ and has spread into the brain tissue. Metastatic tumors in the brain are more common than primary brain tumors. They are usually named after the tissue or organ where the cancer first developed (for example, metastatic lung or breast cancer tumors in the brain, which are the most common types found).

What causes brain cancer?

Primary brain tumors arise from many types of brain tissue (for example, glial cells, astrocytes, and other brain cell types). Metastatic brain cancer is caused by the spread of cancer cells from a body organ to the brain. However, the causes for the change from normal cells to cancer cells in both metastatic and primary brain tumors are not fully understood. Data gathered by research scientists show that people with certain risk factors are more likely to develop brain cancer. Individuals with risk factors such as having a job in an oil refinery, as a chemist, embalmer, or rubber-industry worker show higher rates of brain cancer. Some families have several members with brain cancer, but heredity as a cause for brain tumors has not been proven. Other risk factors such as smoking, radiation exposure, and viral infection (HIV) have been suggested but not proven to cause brain cancer. There is no good evidence that brain cancer is contagious, caused by head trauma, or caused by cell phone use. Although many lay press and Web articles claim that aspartame (artificial sweetener) causes brain cancer, as of 2009, the FDA maintains that it does not cause brain cancer and base their findings on over 100 toxicological and clinical studies regarding the sweetener’s safety.

Why don’t brain tumors respond to medication?

Malignant brain tumors often fail to respond to promising new medication. Researchers in Heidelberg have discovered a mechanism and a tumor marker for the development of this resistance. A “death receptor” can possibly provide information as to how great the chances of success are for chemotherapy. At the same time, it offers a new approach for promising brain tumor therapy.

Dr. Wolf Mller, senior consultant in the Neuropathology Department at the Institute of Pathology of Heidelberg University Hospital, and his team were able to show that certain brain tumors (astrocytomas) can deactivate a crucial protein on their cell surface, the so-called death receptor. The medication docks onto this receptor and causes the cells to die. An intact “death receptor” can thus serve as a tumor marker for whether or not a therapy has a chance of success. The study was conducted with funding from the Tumor Center of Heidelberg/Mannheim and was published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research.

Primary brain tumors that develop from brain cells, in particular their most malignant variant the glioblastoma, have a very poor prognosis. Although various kinds of therapies are attempted, patients with a glioblastoma usually die within two years of diagnosis. The researchers are thus working at high speed to become more familiar with the biology of these tumors in order to develop more efficient treatment.

“Death receptor” can be switched on and off

The researchers in Heidelberg examined various primary brain tumors (astrocytomas, which also include glioblastomas) and discovered that the gene for the death receptor DR4 was switched off in up to 75 percent of cases by what is known as “promoter methylation”. This means that methyl groups accumulate at the segment of the gene that is crucial for its activity (expression). The gene’s information can thus no longer be read, the gene is silenced.

The death receptor DR4 is an attracti
‘/>”/>

Contact: Dr. Wolf C. Mller Wolf.Mueller@med.uni-heidelberg.de 062-215-639-912 University Hospital Heidelberg Source:Eurekalert