Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 28, 2026
Anticancer Efficacy of Photodynamic Therapy with Lung Cancer-Targeted Nanoparticles
Published on: December 1, 2016
Effects of acupuncture on the tissue distribution of Paclitaxel in lung carcinoma mice
Ze-Dong Cheng1, Song-Zi Wang, Chun-Ri Li
1College of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shenyang, 110847, China, cyg@lnutcm.edu.cn.
Objective:
To study whether acupuncture affects the tissue distribution of Paclitaxel in mouse lung carcinoma.
Methods:
Totally 90 mice were divided into Paclitaxel group, Paclitaxel + Feishu (BL13) group, and Paclitaxel + Lingtai (DU10) group. Each group was consisted of 30 mice. After Paclitaxel injection, the mice received electro-acupuncture at Feishu or Lingtai acupoints once a day for 8 days. The effect of acupuncture on the tissue distribution of Paclitaxel was evaluated using high-performance liquid chromatography at 1, 2, and 3 h, respectively. The lung, liver, spleen, and kidney were examined for the concentration of Paclitaxel seperately.
Results:
Paclitaxel was widely distributed in various organs, particularly in the lung, liver, and kidney. Acupuncture at Lingtai or Feishu acupoints resulted in an obvious decrease of Paclitaxel distribution in kidney and delayed Paclitaxel distribution in liver. Meanwhile, it increased the time of metabolism. Acupuncture at Feishu acupoint facilitated the delivery of Paclitaxel to lung more effectively than did acupuncture at Lingtai acupoint.
Conclusions:
Applying acupuncture at particular acupoints can influence tissue distribution of Paclitaxel. Tissue distribution change might be one of the mechanisms of acupuncture treatment during chemotherapy.
