Spatial topological analysis of sympathetic neurovascular characteristic of acupoints in Ren meridian using advanced tissue-clearing and near infrared II imaging

Wei Hu; Junda Chen; Caixia Sun; Xiaoyu Tong; Wenhan Lu; Ziyong Ju; Yong Xia; Zhenle Pei; Mingzhen Xu; Xiaoqing Xu; Jiemei Shi; Yi Li; Haofeng Chen; Yizhou Lu; Ying Ying; Hongru Gao; Aaron J W Hsueh; Fan Zhang; Zhi Lü; Yi Feng

doi:10.1016/j.csbj.2021.04.010

Spatial topological analysis of sympathetic neurovascular characteristic of acupoints in Ren meridian using advanced tissue-clearing and near infrared II imaging

Comput Struct Biotechnol J. 2021 Apr 8:19:2236-2245. doi: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.04.010. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Wei Hu^{1

2}, Junda Chen^{3

4}, Caixia Sun⁵, Xiaoyu Tong^{1

2}, Wenhan Lu^{1

2}, Ziyong Ju⁶, Yong Xia⁶, Zhenle Pei^{1

2}, Mingzhen Xu^{1

2}, Xiaoqing Xu^{1

2}, Jiemei Shi^{1

2}, Yi Li⁶, Haofeng Chen^{1

2}, Yizhou Lu^{1

2}, Ying Ying^{1

2}, Hongru Gao^{1

2}, Aaron J W Hsueh⁷, Fan Zhang⁵, Zhi Lü⁴, Yi Feng^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Integrative Medicine and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institutes of Brain Science, Brain Science Collaborative Innovation Center, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Fudan Institutes of Integrative Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
² Shanghai Key Laboratory of Acupuncture Mechanism and Acupoint Function, Shanghai 200032, China.
³ School of Mathematical Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China.
⁴ School of Mathematical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
⁵ Department of Chemistry, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers and iChem, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
⁶ Department of Acupuncture and Tuina, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China.
⁷ Division of Reproductive and Stem Cell Biology, Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA.

Abstract

Acupuncture has been used for treating various medical conditions in traditional Chinese medicine. Both manual and electro-acupuncture stimulate specific acupoints to obtain local and systemic biological effects, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we used three-dimensional tissue-clearing technology to study acupoints on the Ren meridian of mice to reveal the distribution, density, branching, and relationships between blood vessels and nerves. Using topological Mapper methods, we found that sympathetic neurovascular networks were denser in the CV 4 acupoint compared with surrounding non-acupoints. Furthermore, high resolution in vivo real-time vascular imaging using the near infrared-II probe LZ-1105 demonstrated increased blood flow in the CV 4 acupoint compared with neighboring non-acupoints after manual or electro-acupuncture. Consistent with earlier findings, our research indicated that acupuncture could enhance local blood flow, and our high-resolution 3D images show for the first time the important role of sympathetic neurovascular networks in the CV 4 acupoint.

Keywords: 3D visualization; Acupoint; Acupuncture; In-vivo NIR-II imaging; Tissue-clearing; Topology.