title: Effects of acupuncture at ST36 on pharmacokinetics of Schisandra lignans in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the influence of acupuncture at ST36 on the pharmacokinetics of Schisandra lignans including schisandrin, deoxyschisandrin and schisandrin B after intragastric administration of Schisandra chinensis (SC) in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twelve male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into two study groups: SC and SC+acupuncture. Rats in both groups received intragastric SC extract at 5.0 g/kg. Rats in the SC+acupuncture group additionally received acupuncture stimulation at ST36 for 30 min after SC administration. Acupuncture needles were rotated bilaterally for 1 min, left in situ for 20 min, then electrically stimulated for 10 min at 50 Hz frequency and 1-3 mA intensity. A sensitive and specific high performance liquid chromatography electrospray tandem mass spectrometry procedure was developed and validated for simultaneous analysis of three bioactive lignans (schisandrin, deoxyschisandrin and schisandrin B) in rat plasma.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were significant differences (p<0.05) between the two study groups in various pharmacokinetic parameters. Area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC0-t), area under the plasma concentration-time curve to time infinity (AUC0-∞) and peak plasma concentration (Cmax) for schisandrin, absorption half-life (T1/2α) and AUC0-t for deoxyschisandrin, and Cmax for schisandrin B were increased in the SC+acupuncture group compared with the SC group. T1/2α for schisandrin B only and time to peak concentration (Tmax) for all three lignans were reduced following acupuncture.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Acupuncture stimulation at ST36 affects the pharmacokinetics of SC in rats. Acupuncture may have a beneficial role in promoting the absorption of lignans from extracts of SC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China Key Research Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Processing of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: De
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Ziwan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ning
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Chunqin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Acupuncture of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Huan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Jun
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China Key Research Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Processing of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Tulin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D015669:Acupuncture Points; D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000818:Animals; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D006801:Humans; D017705:Lignans / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D032141:Schisandra / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D017705:Lignans