Am J Chin Med. 2001 ; 29(2): 221-6.

The effectiveness of Tsu-San-Li (St-36) and Tai-Chung (Li-3) acupoints for treatment of acute liver damage in rats.

Liu HJ, Hsu SF, Hsieh CC, Ho TY, Hsieh CL, Tsai CC, Lin JG.

Acupuncture Research Center, Graduate Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan.

This study investigated the effects of acupuncture on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced acute liver injury in male rats (n=36). The experimental groups were injected with CCl4 before, during, or after acupuncture therapy. Acupoints similar to the human Tsu-San-Li (St-36) and Tai-Chung (Li-3) were needled bilaterally. Rats treated with CCl4 had higher levels of serum glutamate-oxalate-transaminase (sGOT) and serum glutamate-pyruvate-transaminase (sGPT). Comparing the experimental groups, biochemical and pathological parameters of liver injury were significantly reduced when rats were acupunctured after, not before, CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity. Acupuncture at the Tsu-San-Li and Tai-Chung acupoints cannot prevent acute liver injury but may be effective in treating liver injury induced by carbon tetrachloride in rats.