Acupuncture is considered to be an effective therapy for treating functional disorders, pain relief, drug abuse and psychiatric disorders. The treatment mechanism involves the release of endogenous opiates and neurotransmitters, which are mediated through electrical stimulation of the central nervous system. In order to increase the intensity of the stimuli, it is necessary to use thicker needles and/or deeper insertion of the needles. However, a similar effect could be achieved by increasing the surface area of the needles. Researchers at the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu Haany University, Republic of Korea and Flux Photon Corporation, USA, have fabricated a porous structure with hierarchical micro/nano-scale conical pores on the surface of conventional stainless steel acupuncture needles.
Conventional stainless steel acupuncture needles (CN) (length: 8 cm; diameter: 0.18 mm) were anodized in ethylene glycol medium modified with the addition of 0.2 wt. % NH4F + 2.0 vol. % deionized water at 20 V for 30 min to form a porous structure with hierarchical micro/nano-scale conical pores (PN). The morphological features of CN and PN are shown in Fig. 1. The CN possess a smooth surface (Fig. 1(a)) whereas a hierarchical micro/nano-scale porous surface topology is developed after anodization (Figs. 1(b), 1(c) and 1(d)). The surface area of PN (1.03 m2∙g−1) is ~ 25 times higher than CN (0.04 m2∙g−1).
Fig. 1 Morphological features of (a) conventional acupuncture needle (CN); and (b, c, d) nanoporous acupuncture needle (PN); (c, d) high resolution images.
The surface modified stainless steel acupuncture needles (PN) enhanced the therapeutic effects of colorectal cancer (CRC) treatment in rats.
T.S.N. Sankara Narayanan
For further information, the reader may kindly refer: Bo Ram Lee et al., Enhanced Therapeutic Treatment of Colorectal Cancer Using Surface-Modified Nanoporous Acupuncture Needles, Scientific Reports, 7: 12900, DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-11213-0
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