title: Effects of laser acupuncture on longitudinal bone growth in adolescent rats.
abstract: Longitudinal bone growth is the results of chondrocyte proliferation and hypertrophy and subsequent endochondral ossification in the growth plate. Recently, laser acupuncture (LA), an intervention to stimulate acupoint with low-level laser irradiation, has been suggested as an intervention to improve the longitudinal bone growth. This study investigated the effects of laser acupuncture on growth, particularly longitudinal bone growth in adolescent male rats. Laser acupuncture was performed once every other day for a total of 9 treatments over 18 days to adolescent male rats. Morphometry of the growth plate, longitudinal bone growth rate, and the protein expression of BMP-2 and IGF-1 in growth plate were observed. The bone growth rate and the heights of growth plates were significantly increased by laser acupuncture. BMP-2 but not IGF-1 immunostaining in growth plate was increased as well. In conclusion, LA promotes longitudinal bone growth in adolescent rats, suggesting that laser acupuncture may be a promising intervention for improving the growth potential for children and adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 130-701, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Mijung
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yeom
authors.forename: Sung-Hun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Bina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Xiuyu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Hyangsook
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Dae-Hyun
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Hahm
authors.forename: Youngjoo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sohn
authors.forename: Hyejung
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lee