Acupuncture - National Cancer Institute


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Laboratory/Animal/Preclinical Studies

At least five animal studies investigating the effects of acupuncture in cancer or cancer-related conditions have been reported in the scientific literature (see table at end of this section).[1-5] Two of the studies were conducted in China, one of which was published in Chinese with an English abstract. One study was conducted in Japan, one in Sweden, and one in the United States. Four of the studies were ex vivo laboratory investigations using blood samples or tissues; [1-3,5] the remaining study was an animal behavioral study testing the effect of acupuncture on chemotherapy -induced nausea and vomiting. [4]

The four ex vivo studies suggested that acupuncture is useful in anticancer therapy either by actively stimulating immune activity or by preventing chemotherapy suppression of immune activity.

In a study involving normal rats, electroacupuncture (EA) (1 Hz, 5–20 V, 1-millisecond pulse width, 2 hours) applied at the point Tsu-Sanli (S36) for 2 hours daily on 3 consecutive days enhanced the cytotoxicity of splenic natural killer (NK) cells compared with a stimulation of a nonacupuncture control point in the abdominal muscle.[3]

Another study found that NK cell activity and T- lymphocyte transformation rate were increased in a mouse model of transplanted mammary cancer compared with control (P < .05) after eight sessions of acupuncture and moxibustion.[2]

A study involving tumor -bearing mice (sarcoma S180) using moxibustion to warm the acupuncture point Guanyuan (CV4) once a day for 10 days found significantly increased production of erythrocytes, compared with a nontreatment control.[1]

The fourth ex vivo study used a rat model to investigate the effect of EA on nerve growth factor (NGF), which is associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Women with PCOS have an increased risk of endometrial cancer and other diseases. Repeated EA treatments (12 treatments administered over 30 days) in PCO rats significantly lowered the concentrations of NGF in the ovaries, compared with untreated PCO rats.[5]

A study of cyclophosphamide -induced emesis in a ferret behavioral model used acupuncture as an adjunct therapy in treating the emetic side effects of chemotherapy. EA at 100 Hz, 1.5 V, for 10 minutes in combination with subeffective doses of antiemetics such as ondansetron (0.04 mg/kg), droperidol (0.25 mg/kg), and metoclopramide (2.24 mg/kg) significantly reduced the total number of emetic episodes by 52%, 36%, and 73%, respectively (P < .01), in this ferret model.[4]

The findings of these studies suggest that acupuncture may be effective in treating cancer-related symptoms and cancer treatment–related disorders and that acupuncture may be able to activate immune functions [1-3] and regulate the autonomic nervous system.[4,5] Only one study reported a decrease in tumor volume in animals treated with acupuncture compared with control animals; however, the scientific value of this report is limited because of insufficient information about the research methodology.[2]

Table 1. Animal Studies of Acupuncture^a

Enlarge

Reference Citation(s)	Animal Model	Endpoints Measured	No. of Animals: Total; Evaluable; Treated; Control	Strongest Benefit Reported^b
[1]	Mice with S180 sarcoma tumors	Erythrocyte levels in mice with tumors	30; 10 tumor-bearing mice plus acupuncture; 10 normal mice, no acupuncture; and 10 tumor-bearing mice, no acupuncture	Erythrocyte increases^c
[2]	Mice with mammary cancer	Exp. 1: Immune system function	Exp. 1: 30; 10 tumor-bearing mice plus acupuncture; 10 tumor-bearing mice, no acupuncture; 10 normal mice	Increase in NK cell activity; lymphocyte invasion of tumor increased; reduced tumor volume^d
[2]	Mice with mammary cancer	Exp. 2: Histopathology of the tumor	Exp. 2: 56; 30 tumor-bearing mice plus acupuncture; and 26 tumor-bearing mice, no acupuncture
[5]	Rats with polycystic ovary syndrome (not cancer)	NGF concentration in ovaries and adrenal glands	32; 8 EV plus EA; 8 EV control; 8 oil control; and 8 NaCl control	Lower NGF concentration in ovaries^e
[4]	Ferrets receiving chemotherapy	Emesis induced by cyclophosphamide treatment	86	36%-73 % decrease in vomiting with EA as adjuvant to antiemetics^f
			Exp. 1: 30 EA only (6 per group with various EA parameters); 8 vehicle control; 6 sham EA; 6 place EA
			Exp. 2: 18 EA plus antiemetic (6 plus ondansetron, 6 plus metoclopramide, and 6 plus droperidol); 6 EA alone control; 6 sham EA control; and 18 antiemetics alone control (6 plus ondansetron, 6 plus metoclopramide, and 6 plus droperidol)
[3]	Rats (normal)	Splenic NK cell activity	46; 22 acupuncture treated (17 tibial and 5 abdominal); 18 no acupuncture controls; assignment of remaining 6 not noted	NK cell activity enhanced^g

EA = electroacupuncture; EV = estradiol valerate; NGF = nerve growth factor; NK = natural killer cell; No. = number.
^aSee text and the NCI Dictionary for additional information and definition of terms.
^bStrongest evidence reported that the treatment under study has activity.
^c P < .05, comparison of acupuncture-treated versus nontreated tumor-bearing mice.
^dAll P < .05.
^e P < .05, EV plus EA versus EV only.
^f P < .05, acupuncture versus no acupuncture.
^g P < .05, EA plus antiemetics versus antiemetics or EA alone.

References

Wu P, Cao Y, Wu J: Effects of moxa-cone moxibustion at Guanyuan on erythrocytic immunity and its regulative function in tumor-bearing mice. J Tradit Chin Med 21 (1): 68-71, 2001. [PUBMED Abstract]
Liu LJ, Guo CJ, Jiao XM: [Effect of acupuncture on immunologic function and histopathology of transplanted mammary cancer in mice] Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi 15 (10): 615-7, 1995. [PUBMED Abstract]
Sato T, Yu Y, Guo SY, et al.: Acupuncture stimulation enhances splenic natural killer cell cytotoxicity in rats. Jpn J Physiol 46 (2): 131-6, 1996. [PUBMED Abstract]
Lao L, Zhang G, Wong RH, et al.: The effect of electroacupuncture as an adjunct on cyclophosphamide-induced emesis in ferrets. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 74 (3): 691-9, 2003. [PUBMED Abstract]
Stener-Victorin E, Lundeberg T, Waldenström U, et al.: Effects of electro-acupuncture on nerve growth factor and ovarian morphology in rats with experimentally induced polycystic ovaries. Biol Reprod 63 (5): 1497-503, 2000. [PUBMED Abstract]

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