Research Center of Experimental Acupuncture Science, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China.
Suzuka University of Medical Science, Suzuka 5100293, Japan.
Neural Plast. 2021 Jun 15;2021:9926445. doi: 10.1155/2021/9926445. eCollection 2021.
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic and progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Existing pharmaceutical treatments offer alleviation of symptoms but cannot delay disease progression and are often associated with significant side effects. Clinical studies have demonstrated that acupuncture may be beneficial for PD treatment, particularly in terms of ameliorating PD symptoms when combined with anti-PD medication, reducing the required dose of medication and associated side effects. During early stages of PD, acupuncture may even be used to replace medication. It has also been found that acupuncture can protect dopaminergic neurons from degeneration via antioxidative stress, anti-inflammatory, and antiapoptotic pathways as well as modulating the neurotransmitter balance in the basal ganglia circuit. Here, we review current studies and reflect on the potential of acupuncture as a novel and effective treatment strategy for PD. We found that particularly during the early stages, acupuncture may reduce neurodegeneration of dopaminergic neurons and regulate the balance of the dopaminergic circuit, thus delaying the progression of the disease. The benefits of acupuncture will need to be further verified through basic and clinical studies.
帕金森病（PD）是一种由黑质多巴胺能神经元变性引起的慢性进行性神经退行性疾病。现有的药物治疗方法可以缓解症状，但不能延缓疾病进展，而且往往伴随着明显的副作用。临床研究表明，针灸可能对 PD 的治疗有益，特别是在与抗 PD 药物联合使用时，可以改善 PD 症状，减少药物的剂量和相关的副作用。在 PD 的早期阶段，针灸甚至可以替代药物治疗。研究还发现，针灸可以通过抗氧化应激、抗炎和抗细胞凋亡途径以及调节基底神经节回路中的神经递质平衡来保护多巴胺能神经元免受变性。在这里，我们回顾了目前的研究，并思考了针灸作为一种新型有效治疗 PD 的策略的潜力。我们发现，针灸在早期阶段可能会减少多巴胺能神经元的神经退行性变，并调节多巴胺能回路的平衡，从而延缓疾病的进展。针灸的益处还需要通过基础和临床研究进一步验证。
