Effects of manual acupuncture at GB34 on carbon tetrachloride-induced acute liver injury in rats

Manual acupuncture at Yanglingquan (GB34) is reported to have a beneficial effect on chronic liver damage. We, therefore, studied the effect of manual acupuncture at GB34 on acute liver damage. Rats were administered carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)) or olive oil, and direct manual acupuncture was subsequently performed at GB34 or at a sham point (a nonacupoint). In rats administered with CCl(4), the serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase, the total cholesterol concentration, and the levels of hepatic thiobarbituric-acid-reactive substances were suppressed by acupuncture at GB34 when compared with acupuncture at the sham point. By contrast, there was little histological difference in the liver between acupuncture at GB34 and that at the sham point in rats administered with CCl(4). These results suggest that manual acupuncture at GB34 tends to improve acute liver damage but is not sufficient by itself to completely resolve the hepatic injury.