ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Bioprocess Engineering
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1690336
This article is part of the Research TopicNanogenerator Technologies bridging Bioengineering and Human-Machine IntegrationView all articles
The Effects of Needle and Warm Needle on Hemodynamic Responses at Different Acupoints in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis
Provisionally accepted
- 1Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China
- 2Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- 3University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States
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Background: Acupuncture, as a non-pharmacological alternative therapy, has been widely used in China for the clinical treatment of knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Different acupuncture methods and acupoint selections are two critical factors influencing clinical efficacy. Although multiple studies have confirmed the efficacy of acupuncture in treating KOA, its underlying physiological mechanisms remain unclear. Objective: This study aims to explore hemodynamic responses in KOA patients before and after interventions with different acupuncture methods and acupoint combinations, as well as hemodynamic changes were monitored during acupuncture, using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Methods: Twenty-four KOA patients received needle and warm needle interventions at SP10 (xuehai) and ST34 (Liangqiu). NIRS was used to monitor real-time changes in oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO₂), deoxy-hemoglobin (Hb), total hemoglobin (tHb), and oxygenation during acupuncture. Results: Compared with needle, warm needle significantly increased HbO₂ (P<0.05) and oxygenation levels in KOA patients (P<0.01). Both methods reduced Hb concentrations compared to baseline, with a greater decrease at ST34 than at SP10 (P<0.05). However, during treatment, the warm needle showed an increase in Hb concentration, especially in SP10. Conclusion: Our study provides the first evidence that different combinations of acupuncture methods and acupoint selections can significantly affect hemodynamic responses. Warm needle significantly improved local blood flow and oxygen delivery capacity in KOA patients, maintaining these improvements longer than needle intervention. Furthermore, warm needle at SP10 demonstrated superior efficacy in improving oxygen metabolism compared to ST34 .
Keywords: knee osteoarthritis, Acupuncture, Acupoint, Near Infrared Spectroscopy, hemodynamicresponses
Received: 21 Aug 2025; Accepted: 30 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Ni, Chen, Huang, Liu, Zhu, Yu, Wang and Jan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Xiao Ling Wang, 2013004@fjtcm.edu.cn
Yih Kuen Jan, yjan@illinois.edu
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