Department of Medicine, University of California, USA.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2011;2011:481625. doi: 10.1093/ecam/nep236. Epub 2011 Mar 10.
This article presents the hypothesis that acupuncture enhances anticancer immune functions by stimulating natural killer (NK) cells. It provides background information on acupuncture, summarizes the current scientific understanding of the mechanisms through which NK cells act to eliminate cancer cells, and reviews evidence that acupuncture is associated with increases in NK cell quantity and function in both animals and humans. The key contribution of this article involves the use of cellular immunology and molecular biological theory to interpret and synthesize evidence from disparate animal and human studies in formulating the 'acupuncture immuno-enhancement hypothesis': clinicians may use acupuncture to promote the induction and secretion of NK-cell activating cytokines that engage specific NK cell receptors that endogenously enhance anticancer immune function.
本文提出假设，针灸通过刺激自然杀伤 (NK) 细胞来增强抗癌免疫功能。它提供了有关针灸的背景信息，总结了当前对 NK 细胞消除癌细胞作用机制的科学认识，并回顾了证据表明针灸与动物和人类 NK 细胞数量和功能的增加有关。本文的主要贡献在于使用细胞免疫学和分子生物学理论来解释和综合来自不同动物和人类研究的证据，从而提出“针灸免疫增强假说”：临床医生可以使用针灸来促进 NK 细胞激活细胞因子的诱导和分泌，这些细胞因子通过内源性增强抗癌免疫功能来激活特定的 NK 细胞受体。
