[A simulating study of biophysical features along meridians on a gel model]

A physical model was used to study the mechanism of specific biophysical features along the classic acupuncture meridian lines. A sol channel within a gel bed was made by a resistance string heating during electrification. A saline channel was produced by withdrawing some fibers in the gel bed and injecting saline into the gaps. A hydraulic resistance instrument composed by two pressure transducers was used to measure the hydraulic resistance across the two kinds of channels. The impedance on both channels was measured by a four-electrode impedance instrument with 5 KHz constant current. A vibration generator was put on one set of the channel to produce about 50 Hz sound waves. The signal was detected by a crystal pickup on the other set of the channel to examine the transmission of the wave along the two kinds of channels. The results showed that the low hydraulic resistance appeared on saline channel while no such feature on sol channel. Both channels showed low impedance while saline channel had more marked low impedance than control area. There was a better transmission of sound wave along saline channel while a bad transmission along the sol channel. The results suggest that the specific biophysical feature along meridians may be caused by a continuous rich distribution of interstitial fluid which mainly contains salt, water and protein.