A new technique for visualizing Bonghan ducts (BHDs) and Bonghan corpuscles (BHCs) was developed by using a vivi-staining dye, Trypan blue. The dye stains BHDs and BHCs preferentially to adipocytes so that tracking a BHD and a BHC, even inside adipose tissues, is possible. Concerning the functions of the BHD and the BHC in adipose tissues, we propose conjectures: the Bonghan system may be niches for mesenchymal stem cells, which can differentiate into adipocytes, and pathways for macrophages involved in adipogenesis.
Brief Report

Bonghan System as Mesenchymal Stem Cell Niches and Pathways of Macrophages in Adipose Tissues
aBiomedical Physics Laboratory, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
bResearch Division, Korean Pharmacopuncture Institute, Seoul, Korea
cDepartment of Physical Education, University of Incheon, Incheon, Korea
dDepartment of Chemistry, Ewha Woman's University, Seoul, Korea
2009; 2(1): 79-82
Published March 1, 2009 https://doi.org/10.1016/S2005-2901(09)60020-0
Copyright © Medical Association of Pharmacopuncture Institute.
Keywords
Obesity is a major health problem in developed countries as the cause of diabetes or cardiovascular disorders. Adipose tissues are mainly composed of adipocytes, and their genesis and growth are subjects of wide interest [1, 2]. In this brief report, we point out that novel threadlike and corpuscular structures, so-called Bonghan ducts (BHDs) and Bonghan corpuscles (BHCs), which are yet unknown to most researchers in this field, are present in adipose tissues. A technique for visualizing these novel structures in adipose tissues was only recently developed and is introduced for the first time in this brief report. Considering their possible physiological roles of these novel structures in connection with tissue regeneration we propose a conjecture that the Bonghan system is a mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) niche which provides adipogenesis and can possibly be regulated by using acupuncture. Another conjecture is that the BHD is a pathway for macrophages, which are closely related to adipogenesis and to acupuncture. Thus, we propose two hypotheses that the Bonghan system in adipose tissues functions as MSC niches and that the BHDs are macrophage pathways.
The recent rediscovery of the Bonghan system, which was claimed by Bongh Han Kim to be the anatomical structure corresponding to the acupuncture points and meridians in the early 1960s [3] has revitalized related research: intravascular BHD in blood vessels [4, 5, 6] and lymphatic vessels [7, 8, 9], in brain ventricles and the central canals of spines [10], and on the surfaces of internal organs [11, 12, 13]. Investigations aiming to elucidate the details of the anatomy and the morphology of the BHD have been performed by using confocal laser scanning microscopy [13], various electron microscopies [14, 15], and an immunohistochemical technique [16]. The circulatory function of the BHD was investigated by injecting Alcian blue [15]. Catecholamine hormone flow in the BHD was also confirmed [17]. In the tracking of the BHD on the surfaces of internal organs, we often get lost when the BHD enters adipose tissue. In this brief report, we present a new visualizing dye, Trypan blue, that stains the BHD but not adipose tissues, thus making the BHD visible even inside adipose tissues.
Sprague-Dawley rats, 250 g, were housed at a constant temperature (23°C) and humidity (60%). The rats were anesthetized with urethane (1.5 g/kg) administered intraperitoneally, and all surgical procedures were performed under general anesthesia. The procedures involving the animals and their care conformed to institutional guidelines, which were in full compliance with current international laws and policies.
The staining was done with 0.4% Trypan blue (Sigma Aldrich, USA) by spreading and washing with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Trypan blue is used as a vivi-staining dye, for example, of vitereoretinal membranes in ophthalmic surgery [18]. The observations of the BHD were done with a stereomicroscope (SZX12, Olympus).
The BHDs often entered the adipose tissues present around internal organs, so we were not able to trace them into adipose tissues because the BHDs were not visible. Figure 1 shows a BHC and a BHD that became blue due to the Alcian blue that had been injected into the femoral vein of a rat and that later appeared in the BHC and the BHD by flowing into them through some unknown paths [9]. Notice that the BHD entered the adipose tissue and disappeared from view.
-
Figure 1.A Bonghan corpuscle (BHC) and Bonghan duct (BHD) on adipose tissue around the small intestine of a rat. Alcian blue that flowed in the BHD and the BHC left them blue. Notice that the BHD entered the adipose tissue, so further
in-situ tracking of the BHD was not possible.
Using Trypan blue, we were able to visualize the BHD inside the adipose tissue because the BHD is stained preferentially compared with adipose tissues or blood vessels. In Figure 2A, a BHD and its connected corpuscle (arrow) were stained blue inside the adipose tissue around the omentum near the stomach. Figure 2B shows two BHDs (arrows) and a BHC (thick arrow) in adipose tissue around the small intestine of a rat. Verification of these threadlike structures as parts of the Bonghan system by using a histological examination will be given elsewhere.
-
Figure 2.Trypan blue staining of a Bonghan duct (BHD) and a Bonghan corpuscle (BHC) inside adipose tissues. (A) A BHC and connected BHD inside adipose tissue around the small intestine of a rat. (B) A BHC and two BHDs near a small intestine of the same rat. Notice that blood vessels and adipose tissues were not stained.
We propose two hypotheses on the possible roles of the BHC and the BHD in adipose tissues. The first hypothesis is that the BHC may be a MSC niche. The presence of MSCs in the BHC on the surfaces of the internal organs of rats was indicated by the expression of Integrin beta 1, collagen type 1, and fibronectin [19]. In addition, in a proteomic analysis of the BHD, the existence of proteins related to the recruitment of MSCs, the cell process in MSC, and to MSC/myofibroblast differentiation was seen in the protein profile from the BHD of a rabbit [20]. Considering these immunohistochemical and proteomics data, we conjecture that the BHC in adipose tissues may be a MSC niche. MSCs can differentiate into a variety of cell lineages [21, 22], and adipogenesis is of particular interest among their diverse differentiation possibilities [23, 24]. In the research on stem cells in connection with adipose tissues, such as adipocyte-derived stem cells, one should pay more attention to the BHD and the BHC as novel structures.
The second hypothesis is that the BHD may be a pathway for macrophages secreting angiogenic factors and cytokines. As reported by Cho et al. [25], these macrophages infiltrate in large numbers the tip portion of the dense microvasculature in adult adipose tissue of mice, suggesting that macrophages might be involved in the formation of vascular plexuses and in adipogenesis. Thus, macrophage-assisted angiogenesis precedes adipogenesis/lipogenesis in the tip of adult epididymal adipose tissue. Since we found an abundant presence of macrophages in the BHD [14], we naturally hypothesized that, in addition to the circulation in the blood, the BHD might be an unobserved path for the macrophages. We notice the close relation between macrophages and acupuncture for which improved immune function and beneficial effects on inflammation are often cited [26]. There is a report on the abundance of mast cells, typical immune cells, at acupuncture points [27]. Macrophages are known to have a deep connection with inflammation through the a7 receptor and acetylcholine, which presents a possible explanation for the therapeutic effects of acupuncture on inflammation [28]. In conclusion, the novel circulatory system consisting of the BHD and the BHC in adipose tissues is worth investigating in connection with MSCs, macrophages, and adipogenesis.
Acknowledgments
This research was supported by a “Systems Biology Infrastructure Establishment Grant” from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology.
References
- Spiegelman BM, Flier JS. Obesity and the regulation of en ergy balance.
Cell 2001;104:531-43. - Zuk PA, Zhu M, Ashjian P, De Ugarte DA, Huang JI, Mizuno H, et al. Human adipose tissue is a source of multipotent stem cells.
Mol Biol Cell 2002;13:4279-95. - Kim BH. On the Kyungrak system.
J Acad Med Sci DPR Kor 1963;90:1-35. - Jiang X, Lee BC, Choi C, Baik KY, Soh KS. Tubular structure of intravascular thread-like structures from rats and rabbits.
J Kor Phys Soc 2004;44:1602-4. - Lee BC, Baik KY, Johng HM, Nam TJ, Lee J, Sung B, et al. Acridine orange staining method to reveal the characteristic features of an intravascular threadlike structure.
Anat Rec B New Anat 2004;278:27-30. - Baik KY, Lee J, Lee BC, Johng HM, Nam TJ, Sung B, et al. Acupuncture meridian and intravascular Bonghan duct.
Key Eng Mater 2005;277:125-9. - Lee BC, Yoo JS, Baik KY, Kim KW, Soh KS. Novel threadlike structures (Bonghan ducts) inside lymphatic vessels of rabbits visualized with a Janus Green B staining method.
Anat Rec B New Anat 2005;286B:1-7. - Johng HM, Yoo JS, Yoon TJ, Shin HS, Lee BC, Lee C, et al. Use of magnetic nanoparticles to visualize threadlike structures inside lymphatic vessels of rats.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2007;4:77-82. - Lee C, Seol SK, Lee BC, Hong YK, Je JH, Soh KS. Alcian blue staining method to visualize bonghan threads inside large caliber lymphatic vessels and X-ray microtomography to reveal their microchannels.
Lymphat Res Biol 2006;4:181-90. - Lee BC, Kim S, Soh KS. Novel anatomic structure in the brain and spinal cord of rabbit that may belong to the Bonghan system of potential acupuncture meridians.
J Acupunct Meridian Stud 2008;1:29-35. - Lee KJ, Kim S, Jung TE, Jin D, Kim DH, Kim HW. Unique duct system and the corpuscle-like structures found on the surface of the liver.
J Int Soc Life Info Sci 2004;22:460-2. - Lee BC, Park ES, Nam TJ, Johng HM, Baik KY, Soh KS. Bonghan ducts on the surface of rat internal organs.
J Int Soc Life Info Sci 2004;22:455-9. - Shin HS, Johng HM, Lee BC, Cho SI, Soh KS, Baik KY, et al. Feulgen reaction study of novel threadlike structures (Bonghan ducts) on the surface of mammalian organs.
Anat Rec B New Anat 2005;284:35-40. - Lee BC, Yoo JS, Ogay V, Kim KW, Dobberstein H, Soh KS, et al. Electron microscopic study of novel threadlike structures on the surfaces of mammalian organs.
Microsc Res Tech 2007;70:34-43. - Sung B, Kim MS, Lee BC, Yoo JS, Lee SH, Kim YJ, Kim KW, et al. Measurement of flow speed in the channels of novel threadlike structures on the surfaces of mammalian organs.
Naturwissenschaften 2008;95:117-24. - Soh KS, Hong S, Hong JY, Lee BC, Yoo JS. Immunohistochemical characterization of intravascular Bonghan duct.
Microcirculation 2006;13:166. - Kim J, Ogay V, Lee BC, Kim MS, Lim I, Woo HJ, et al. Catecholamine producing novel endocrine organ: Bonghan system.
Med Acupunct 2008;20:97-102. - Farah ME, Maia M, Furlani B, Bottós J, Meyer CH, Lima V, et al. Current concepts of trypan blue in chromovitrectomy.
Dev Ophthalmol 2008;42:91-100. - Kim MS, Hong JY, Hong S, Lee BC, Nam CH, Woo HJ, et al. Bong-Han corpuscles as possible stem cell niches on the organ-surfaces.
J Kor Inst Herbal Acupunct 2008;11:5-12. - Lee SJ, Lee BC, Nam CH, Lee WC, Jhang S, Park HS, et al. Proteomic analysis for tissues from Bonghan ducts on rabbit intestinal surfaces.
J Acup Mer Studies 2008;1:97-109. - Pittenger MF, Mackay AM, Beck SC, Jaiswal RK, Douglas R, Mosca JD, et al. Multilineage potential of adult human mesenchymal stem cells.
Science 1999;284:143-7. - Dazzi F, Ramasamy R, Glennie S, Jones SP, Roberts I. The role of mesenchymal stem cells in haemopoiesis.
Blood Rev 2006;20:161-71. - Rydén M, Dicker A, Götherström C, Aström G, Tammik C, Arner P, et al. Functional characterization of human mesenchymal stem cell-derived adipocytes.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2003;311:391-7. - Jeong JA, Ko KM, Park HS, Lee J, Jang C, Jeon CJ, et al. Membrane proteomic analysis of human mesenchymal stromal cells during adipogenesis.
Proteomics 2007;7:4181-91. - Cho CH, Koh YJ, Han J, Sung HK, Jong Lee H, Morisada T, et al. Angiogenic role of LYVE-1-positive macrophages in adipose tissue.
Circ Res 2007;100. - Son YS, Park HJ, Kwon OB, Jung SC, Shin HC, Lim S. Antipyretic effects of acupuncture on the lipopolysaccharide-induced fever and expression of interleukin-6 and interleukin-1β mRNAs in the hypothalamus of rats.
Neurosci Lett 2002;319:45-8. - Zhai N. The research of the histo-physiological relation of mastocyte and meridian.
Chin Acupunct Moxi 1989;8:274-7. - Libert C. Inflammation: a nervous connection.
Nature 2003;421:328-9.
Related articles in JAMS

Article
Brief Report
2009; 2(1): 79-82
Published online March 1, 2009 https://doi.org/10.1016/S2005-2901(09)60020-0
Copyright © Medical Association of Pharmacopuncture Institute.
Bonghan System as Mesenchymal Stem Cell Niches and Pathways of Macrophages in Adipose Tissues
Byung-Cheon Leeab, Kyung-Hee Baec, Gil-Ja Jhond, Kwang-Sup Soha*
aBiomedical Physics Laboratory, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
bResearch Division, Korean Pharmacopuncture Institute, Seoul, Korea
cDepartment of Physical Education, University of Incheon, Incheon, Korea
dDepartment of Chemistry, Ewha Woman's University, Seoul, Korea
Correspondence to:Kwang-Sup Soh
Abstract
A new technique for visualizing Bonghan ducts (BHDs) and Bonghan corpuscles (BHCs) was developed by using a vivi-staining dye, Trypan blue. The dye stains BHDs and BHCs preferentially to adipocytes so that tracking a BHD and a BHC, even inside adipose tissues, is possible. Concerning the functions of the BHD and the BHC in adipose tissues, we propose conjectures: the Bonghan system may be niches for mesenchymal stem cells, which can differentiate into adipocytes, and pathways for macrophages involved in adipogenesis.
Keywords: acupuncture, adipose tissue, Bonghan corpuscle, Bonghan duct, macrophage, mesenchymal stem cell, obesity
Body
Obesity is a major health problem in developed countries as the cause of diabetes or cardiovascular disorders. Adipose tissues are mainly composed of adipocytes, and their genesis and growth are subjects of wide interest [1, 2]. In this brief report, we point out that novel threadlike and corpuscular structures, so-called Bonghan ducts (BHDs) and Bonghan corpuscles (BHCs), which are yet unknown to most researchers in this field, are present in adipose tissues. A technique for visualizing these novel structures in adipose tissues was only recently developed and is introduced for the first time in this brief report. Considering their possible physiological roles of these novel structures in connection with tissue regeneration we propose a conjecture that the Bonghan system is a mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) niche which provides adipogenesis and can possibly be regulated by using acupuncture. Another conjecture is that the BHD is a pathway for macrophages, which are closely related to adipogenesis and to acupuncture. Thus, we propose two hypotheses that the Bonghan system in adipose tissues functions as MSC niches and that the BHDs are macrophage pathways.
The recent rediscovery of the Bonghan system, which was claimed by Bongh Han Kim to be the anatomical structure corresponding to the acupuncture points and meridians in the early 1960s [3] has revitalized related research: intravascular BHD in blood vessels [4, 5, 6] and lymphatic vessels [7, 8, 9], in brain ventricles and the central canals of spines [10], and on the surfaces of internal organs [11, 12, 13]. Investigations aiming to elucidate the details of the anatomy and the morphology of the BHD have been performed by using confocal laser scanning microscopy [13], various electron microscopies [14, 15], and an immunohistochemical technique [16]. The circulatory function of the BHD was investigated by injecting Alcian blue [15]. Catecholamine hormone flow in the BHD was also confirmed [17]. In the tracking of the BHD on the surfaces of internal organs, we often get lost when the BHD enters adipose tissue. In this brief report, we present a new visualizing dye, Trypan blue, that stains the BHD but not adipose tissues, thus making the BHD visible even inside adipose tissues.
Sprague-Dawley rats, 250 g, were housed at a constant temperature (23°C) and humidity (60%). The rats were anesthetized with urethane (1.5 g/kg) administered intraperitoneally, and all surgical procedures were performed under general anesthesia. The procedures involving the animals and their care conformed to institutional guidelines, which were in full compliance with current international laws and policies.
The staining was done with 0.4% Trypan blue (Sigma Aldrich, USA) by spreading and washing with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Trypan blue is used as a vivi-staining dye, for example, of vitereoretinal membranes in ophthalmic surgery [18]. The observations of the BHD were done with a stereomicroscope (SZX12, Olympus).
The BHDs often entered the adipose tissues present around internal organs, so we were not able to trace them into adipose tissues because the BHDs were not visible. Figure 1 shows a BHC and a BHD that became blue due to the Alcian blue that had been injected into the femoral vein of a rat and that later appeared in the BHC and the BHD by flowing into them through some unknown paths [9]. Notice that the BHD entered the adipose tissue and disappeared from view.
-
Figure 1. A Bonghan corpuscle (BHC) and Bonghan duct (BHD) on adipose tissue around the small intestine of a rat. Alcian blue that flowed in the BHD and the BHC left them blue. Notice that the BHD entered the adipose tissue, so further
in-situ tracking of the BHD was not possible.
Using Trypan blue, we were able to visualize the BHD inside the adipose tissue because the BHD is stained preferentially compared with adipose tissues or blood vessels. In Figure 2A, a BHD and its connected corpuscle (arrow) were stained blue inside the adipose tissue around the omentum near the stomach. Figure 2B shows two BHDs (arrows) and a BHC (thick arrow) in adipose tissue around the small intestine of a rat. Verification of these threadlike structures as parts of the Bonghan system by using a histological examination will be given elsewhere.
-
Figure 2. Trypan blue staining of a Bonghan duct (BHD) and a Bonghan corpuscle (BHC) inside adipose tissues. (A) A BHC and connected BHD inside adipose tissue around the small intestine of a rat. (B) A BHC and two BHDs near a small intestine of the same rat. Notice that blood vessels and adipose tissues were not stained.
We propose two hypotheses on the possible roles of the BHC and the BHD in adipose tissues. The first hypothesis is that the BHC may be a MSC niche. The presence of MSCs in the BHC on the surfaces of the internal organs of rats was indicated by the expression of Integrin beta 1, collagen type 1, and fibronectin [19]. In addition, in a proteomic analysis of the BHD, the existence of proteins related to the recruitment of MSCs, the cell process in MSC, and to MSC/myofibroblast differentiation was seen in the protein profile from the BHD of a rabbit [20]. Considering these immunohistochemical and proteomics data, we conjecture that the BHC in adipose tissues may be a MSC niche. MSCs can differentiate into a variety of cell lineages [21, 22], and adipogenesis is of particular interest among their diverse differentiation possibilities [23, 24]. In the research on stem cells in connection with adipose tissues, such as adipocyte-derived stem cells, one should pay more attention to the BHD and the BHC as novel structures.
The second hypothesis is that the BHD may be a pathway for macrophages secreting angiogenic factors and cytokines. As reported by Cho et al. [25], these macrophages infiltrate in large numbers the tip portion of the dense microvasculature in adult adipose tissue of mice, suggesting that macrophages might be involved in the formation of vascular plexuses and in adipogenesis. Thus, macrophage-assisted angiogenesis precedes adipogenesis/lipogenesis in the tip of adult epididymal adipose tissue. Since we found an abundant presence of macrophages in the BHD [14], we naturally hypothesized that, in addition to the circulation in the blood, the BHD might be an unobserved path for the macrophages. We notice the close relation between macrophages and acupuncture for which improved immune function and beneficial effects on inflammation are often cited [26]. There is a report on the abundance of mast cells, typical immune cells, at acupuncture points [27]. Macrophages are known to have a deep connection with inflammation through the a7 receptor and acetylcholine, which presents a possible explanation for the therapeutic effects of acupuncture on inflammation [28]. In conclusion, the novel circulatory system consisting of the BHD and the BHC in adipose tissues is worth investigating in connection with MSCs, macrophages, and adipogenesis.
Acknowledgments
This research was supported by a “Systems Biology Infrastructure Establishment Grant” from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology.
Fig 1.

Fig 2.

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References
- Spiegelman BM, Flier JS. Obesity and the regulation of en ergy balance.
Cell 2001;104:531-43. - Zuk PA, Zhu M, Ashjian P, De Ugarte DA, Huang JI, Mizuno H, et al. Human adipose tissue is a source of multipotent stem cells.
Mol Biol Cell 2002;13:4279-95. - Kim BH. On the Kyungrak system.
J Acad Med Sci DPR Kor 1963;90:1-35. - Jiang X, Lee BC, Choi C, Baik KY, Soh KS. Tubular structure of intravascular thread-like structures from rats and rabbits.
J Kor Phys Soc 2004;44:1602-4. - Lee BC, Baik KY, Johng HM, Nam TJ, Lee J, Sung B, et al. Acridine orange staining method to reveal the characteristic features of an intravascular threadlike structure.
Anat Rec B New Anat 2004;278:27-30. - Baik KY, Lee J, Lee BC, Johng HM, Nam TJ, Sung B, et al. Acupuncture meridian and intravascular Bonghan duct.
Key Eng Mater 2005;277:125-9. - Lee BC, Yoo JS, Baik KY, Kim KW, Soh KS. Novel threadlike structures (Bonghan ducts) inside lymphatic vessels of rabbits visualized with a Janus Green B staining method.
Anat Rec B New Anat 2005;286B:1-7. - Johng HM, Yoo JS, Yoon TJ, Shin HS, Lee BC, Lee C, et al. Use of magnetic nanoparticles to visualize threadlike structures inside lymphatic vessels of rats.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2007;4:77-82. - Lee C, Seol SK, Lee BC, Hong YK, Je JH, Soh KS. Alcian blue staining method to visualize bonghan threads inside large caliber lymphatic vessels and X-ray microtomography to reveal their microchannels.
Lymphat Res Biol 2006;4:181-90. - Lee BC, Kim S, Soh KS. Novel anatomic structure in the brain and spinal cord of rabbit that may belong to the Bonghan system of potential acupuncture meridians.
J Acupunct Meridian Stud 2008;1:29-35. - Lee KJ, Kim S, Jung TE, Jin D, Kim DH, Kim HW. Unique duct system and the corpuscle-like structures found on the surface of the liver.
J Int Soc Life Info Sci 2004;22:460-2. - Lee BC, Park ES, Nam TJ, Johng HM, Baik KY, Soh KS. Bonghan ducts on the surface of rat internal organs.
J Int Soc Life Info Sci 2004;22:455-9. - Shin HS, Johng HM, Lee BC, Cho SI, Soh KS, Baik KY, et al. Feulgen reaction study of novel threadlike structures (Bonghan ducts) on the surface of mammalian organs.
Anat Rec B New Anat 2005;284:35-40. - Lee BC, Yoo JS, Ogay V, Kim KW, Dobberstein H, Soh KS, et al. Electron microscopic study of novel threadlike structures on the surfaces of mammalian organs.
Microsc Res Tech 2007;70:34-43. - Sung B, Kim MS, Lee BC, Yoo JS, Lee SH, Kim YJ, Kim KW, et al. Measurement of flow speed in the channels of novel threadlike structures on the surfaces of mammalian organs.
Naturwissenschaften 2008;95:117-24. - Soh KS, Hong S, Hong JY, Lee BC, Yoo JS. Immunohistochemical characterization of intravascular Bonghan duct.
Microcirculation 2006;13:166. - Kim J, Ogay V, Lee BC, Kim MS, Lim I, Woo HJ, et al. Catecholamine producing novel endocrine organ: Bonghan system.
Med Acupunct 2008;20:97-102. - Farah ME, Maia M, Furlani B, Bottós J, Meyer CH, Lima V, et al. Current concepts of trypan blue in chromovitrectomy.
Dev Ophthalmol 2008;42:91-100. - Kim MS, Hong JY, Hong S, Lee BC, Nam CH, Woo HJ, et al. Bong-Han corpuscles as possible stem cell niches on the organ-surfaces.
J Kor Inst Herbal Acupunct 2008;11:5-12. - Lee SJ, Lee BC, Nam CH, Lee WC, Jhang S, Park HS, et al. Proteomic analysis for tissues from Bonghan ducts on rabbit intestinal surfaces.
J Acup Mer Studies 2008;1:97-109. - Pittenger MF, Mackay AM, Beck SC, Jaiswal RK, Douglas R, Mosca JD, et al. Multilineage potential of adult human mesenchymal stem cells.
Science 1999;284:143-7. - Dazzi F, Ramasamy R, Glennie S, Jones SP, Roberts I. The role of mesenchymal stem cells in haemopoiesis.
Blood Rev 2006;20:161-71. - Rydén M, Dicker A, Götherström C, Aström G, Tammik C, Arner P, et al. Functional characterization of human mesenchymal stem cell-derived adipocytes.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2003;311:391-7. - Jeong JA, Ko KM, Park HS, Lee J, Jang C, Jeon CJ, et al. Membrane proteomic analysis of human mesenchymal stromal cells during adipogenesis.
Proteomics 2007;7:4181-91. - Cho CH, Koh YJ, Han J, Sung HK, Jong Lee H, Morisada T, et al. Angiogenic role of LYVE-1-positive macrophages in adipose tissue.
Circ Res 2007;100. - Son YS, Park HJ, Kwon OB, Jung SC, Shin HC, Lim S. Antipyretic effects of acupuncture on the lipopolysaccharide-induced fever and expression of interleukin-6 and interleukin-1β mRNAs in the hypothalamus of rats.
Neurosci Lett 2002;319:45-8. - Zhai N. The research of the histo-physiological relation of mastocyte and meridian.
Chin Acupunct Moxi 1989;8:274-7. - Libert C. Inflammation: a nervous connection.
Nature 2003;421:328-9.