Synchrotron Radiation X-ray Imaging And Spectroscopy Of Acupuncture Points Basic Materials

Before the western medicine came into china, Chinese medicine is authoritative for keeping the health and protecting the life of the Chinese people. It is a set of theory that totally different from the western medicine. But in modern time some people are suspicious of its truth. Because the explanation about the therapy mechanism is abstract given by Chinese medicine, this causes its decline. As the important part of the Chinese medicine acupuncture also is disputed. Although it is a kind of safety and convenient therapy method, and has good curative effect for certain syndromes, it also has popularized in western countries, but the adjust mechanism of acupuncture can not be scientific testified, there are also lots of people do not accept it. So many researchers devoted themselves to study it using the modern techniques. My work is using the methods based on synchrotron radiation to study the topography of the acupuncture points and the distribution of the elements in the points. On the topography, two methods are used one is diffraction enhanced imaging (DEI), other one is dark field imaging (DFI) method. The spectroscopy methods are used to study the distribution of the elements: using fluorescence analysis method to find out the gather situation of elements, and the X-ray absorption fine structure method is used to study the coordination circumstance of different elements.The diffraction enhanced imaging method (DEI) is a kind of phase sensitive method; it can distinguish the different edges in the sample very well. It can pick up the refraction message contained in the X-ray through sample. So this can enhance the refraction contrast of the imaging, it can distinguish different refraction index soft tissues. The acupuncture point's tissues are also soft tissues, so using it to study the acupuncture points is very suitable. In DEI method three imagines are recorded. One is peak image that contain the information of absorption and small-angle scattering rejection, the apparent absorption imaging and the refraction imaging are obtained by the simple pixel by pixel algorithm using two images obtained as the analyzer is tuned to either side of the FWHM position, the low angle and high angle position of the rocking curve. The apparent absorption image is similar to the conventional X-ray image. The refraction imaging records the messages of refraction so can distinguishing different micro structures in the samples. Through contrast the acupuncture points regions and the surrounding tissues on the six acupuncture points sample, the micro vessels in the acupuncture point are more rich than the surrounding tissues. These micro vessel gathering in the acupuncture points show they will have relationship with the function of these points. Through these pictures also found that as the depth became deeper and deeper, the structures were more and more complicated. This accord with that the acupuncture deeper, the effect are more marked.Besides DEI method Dark Field Imaging (DFI) is also a kind of imaging method that only extract the refraction information of the sample. DFI method is a opposite of Bright Field Imaging, it suppress the illumination light remaining after object. Because a lot of researchers have found that there are also have meridian and acupuncture points in rabbit's bodies, in the DFI experiment the rabbit is used as an experimental animal model, the samples are collected from rabbits. In the pictures of the DFI, we found that it is very clear the micro vessels gather in the acupuncture points. Contrast acupuncture point region and the surrounding region in one picture, in the acupuncture point the micro vessels can be seen, but in the surrounding region can't. The structure of rabbits is similar to human body, but the figures are different, so in human body the many thick vessels and nerves can be seen anywhere but little in rabbit body. What kind of relationship between these micro vessels and acupuncture points and if they take part in the messages and the energy transportation still need explore.Fluorescence analysis is a very fast and accurate element analysis method. Fluorescence analysis method is used to detect trace elements contents in different tissues, and the contents change during the development of the tissues. Two kinds of methods PIXE and SXRF are used to study the acupuncture points. The relative contents of the elements such as Ca,Zn and Fe in the region of acupuncture points are higher than surrounding regions, so the this method can be taken as a guild for the location of the acupuncture points.In human and rabbit acupuncture points are all found that elements gathering, and these elements are the necessary for organism, play very important roles in body function. These elements gathering in acupuncture points testify that the acupuncture points are some special points, how these elements involve in special function of the points is another more interesting task.In order to make clear the how these elements take part in the function of the acupuncture, at first the circumstance around these elements should be known, so the X ray absorption fine structure, XAFS method is used to study the structures. XAFS is a structure analysis method special for synchrotron radiation. It can provide the ligand information in a small area. Through analyze the EXAFS of Zn elements, found the number of ligands around the Zn in the acupuncture point is different from the surrounding tissues. For Zn element can transfer the message in human body, the gathering and different structure in the acupuncture point maybe show that the Zn act as a messenger in the acupuncture points. For the Fe element has not found the special structure rule in the acupuncture point and surrounding tissues.The structures of acupuncture points are different from the surrounding tissues through imaging methods and the spectroscopy methods. At the acupuncture points the micro vessels are more than surrounding tissues; and the necessary elements such as Ca,Fe,Zn,Cu etc. The EXAFS of Zn also show that coordination circumstances are different between the acupuncture points and surrounding tissues. Hope these results can provide evidences for the location of the acupuncture points and help for the study of the elements function in these points.