title: Thread Embedding Acupuncture Inhibits Ultraviolet B Irradiation-Induced Skin Photoaging in Hairless Mice.
abstract: Thread embedding acupuncture (TEA) is an acupuncture treatment applied to many diseases in Korean medical clinics because of its therapeutic effects by continuous stimulation to tissues. It has recently been used to enhance facial skin appearance and antiaging, but data from evidence-based medicine are limited. To investigate whether TEA therapy can inhibit skin photoaging by ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation, we performed analyses for histology, histopathology, in situ zymography and western blot analysis in HR-1 hairless mice. TEA treatment resulted in decreased wrinkle formation and skin thickness (Epidermis; P = 0.001 versus UV) in UVB irradiated mice and also inhibited degradation of collagen fibers (P = 0.010 versus normal) by inhibiting proteolytic activity of gelatinase matrix-metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9). Western blot data showed that activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) induced by UVB (P = 0.002 versus normal group) was significantly inhibited by TEA treatment (P = 0.005 versus UV) with subsequent alleviation of MMP-9 activation (P = 0.048 versus UV). These results suggest that TEA treatment can have anti-photoaging effects on UVB-induced skin damage by maintenance of collagen density through regulation of expression of MMP-9 and related JNK signaling. Therefore, TEA therapy may have potential roles as an alternative treatment for protection against skin damage from aging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Korean Medicine, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan 626-870, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yoon-Jung
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Korean Medical Science, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan 626-870, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ha-Neui
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, Oriental Medical Clinic, Seoul 156-701, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Mi-Sook
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.affiliation: Department of Korean Medicine, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan 626-870, Republic of Korea ; Department of Korean Medical Science, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan 626-870, Republic of Korea ; Korean Medical Science Research Center for Healthy-Aging, Pusan National University, Yangsan 626-870, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Byung-Tae
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Choi