Acupuncture-based interventions have gained attention for their potential to enhance insulin sensitivity, modulate inflammatory pathways, and mitigate complications associated with chronic hyperglycemia. This study examined the efficacy of pharmacoacupuncture (PA) in reducing glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels among Korean adults with hyperglycemia. A retrospective analysis was performed using data from 40 hyperglycemic patients who received PA at Dongpyun-Bubu Korean Medical Clinic. Patients underwent 10–30 sessions of PA injections at acupoints including LR13 (章門, the Front-Mu point of the spleen) using a 23-gauge disposable syringe and 1 cc at SP16 (腹哀) and ST19 (不容) using a 27-gauge syringe. Changes in HbA1c and body mass index (BMI) before and after treatment were analyzed using paired t-tests and mixed-effects models. The mean age of patients was 51.4 ± 18.8 years, and 55.0% were women. After 30 sessions of PA, HbA1c significantly decreased from 7.37 ± 1.36% to 5.88 ± 0.65% (p = 6.16 × 10−7), and BMI declined from 28.5 ± 5.0 kg/m2 to 26.4 ± 3.9 kg/m2 (p = 4.09 × 10−8). The reduction in HbA1c was associated with the cumulative number of PA sessions, independent of concurrent Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) treatment or changes in BMI. PA appears to offer significant potential as an adjuvant therapy for hyperglycemia, demonstrating substantial reductions in HbA1c levels. These findings suggest that PA may be a promising complementary treatment for improving glycemic control in adults with hyperglycemia.
AlfheeaidH. A.RaheemD.AhmedF.AlhodiebF. S.AlsharariZ. D.AlhajiJ. H.BinMowynaM. N.SaraivaA.RaposoA. (2022). Salicornia bigelovii, S. brachiata and S. herbacea: Their nutritional characteristics and an evaluation of their potential as salt substitutes. Foods, 11(21), 3402. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11213402
2.
Avalos-SorianoA.De la Cruz-CorderoR.RosadoJ. L.Garcia-GascaT. (2016). 4-Hydroxyisoleucine from fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum): Effects on insulin resistance associated with obesity. Molecules, 21(11), 1596. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules21111596
3.
ChoiH. H.ChoiG.YoonH.HaK. H.KimD. J. (2022). Rising incidence of diabetes in young adults in South Korea: A national cohort study. Diabetes and Metabolism Journal, 46(5), 803–807. https://doi.org/10.4093/dmj.2021.0236
4.
DaviesM. J.D'AlessioD. A.FradkinJ.KernanW. N.MathieuC.MingroneG.RossingP.TsapasA.WexlerD. J.BuseJ. B. (2018). Management of hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes, 2018. A consensus report by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD). Diabetes Care, 41(12), 2669–2701. https://doi.org/10.2337/dci18-0033
5.
ElSayedN. A.AleppoG.ArodaV. R.BannuruR. R.BrownF. M.BruemmerD.CollinsB. S.HilliardM. E.IsaacsD.JohnsonE. L.KahanS.KhuntiK.LeonJ.LyonsS. K.PerryM. L.PrahaladP.PratleyR. E.SeleyJ. J.StantonR. C.GabbayR. A., & on behalf of the American Diabetes, A. (2023a). 2. Classification and diagnosis of diabetes: Standards of care in diabetes-2023. Diabetes Care, 46(Suppl 1), S19–S40. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc23-S002
6.
ElSayedN. A.AleppoG.ArodaV. R.BannuruR. R.BrownF. M.BruemmerD.CollinsB. S.HilliardM. E.IsaacsD.JohnsonE. L.KahanS.KhuntiK.LeonJ.LyonsS. K.PerryM. L.PrahaladP.PratleyR. E.SeleyJ. J.StantonR. C.GabbayR. A., & on behalf of the American Diabetes, A. (2023b). 3. Prevention or delay of type 2 diabetes and associated comorbidities: Standards of care in diabetes-2023. Diabetes Care, 46(Suppl 1), S41–S48. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc23-S003
7.
ElSayedN. A.AleppoG.ArodaV. R.BannuruR. R.BrownF. M.BruemmerD.CollinsB. S.HilliardM. E.IsaacsD.JohnsonE. L.KahanS.KhuntiK.LeonJ.LyonsS. K.PerryM. L.PrahaladP.PratleyR. E.SeleyJ. J.StantonR. C.GabbayR. A., & on behalf of the American Diabetes, A. (2023c). 6. Glycemic targets: Standards of care in diabetes-2023. Diabetes Care, 46(Suppl 1), S97–S110. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc23-S006
8.
ElSayedN. A.AleppoG.ArodaV. R.BannuruR. R.BrownF. M.BruemmerD.CollinsB. S.HilliardM. E.IsaacsD.JohnsonE. L.KahanS.KhuntiK.LeonJ.LyonsS. K.PerryM. L.PrahaladP.PratleyR. E.SeleyJ. J.StantonR. C.GabbayR. A., & on behalf of the American Diabetes, A. (2023d). 9. Pharmacologic approaches to glycemic treatment: Standards of care in diabetes-2023. Diabetes Care, 46(Suppl 1), S140–S157. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc23-S009
9.
FullerS.StephensJ. M. (2015). Diosgenin, 4-hydroxyisoleucine, and fiber from fenugreek: Mechanisms of actions and potential effects on metabolic syndrome. Advances in Nutrition, 6(2), 189–197. https://doi.org/10.3945/an.114.007807
10.
GongL.ZouW.ZhengK.ShiB.LiuM. (2021). The Herba Patriniae (Caprifoliaceae): A review on traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and quality control. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 265, 113264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2020.113264
11.
HaK. H.KimD. J. (2024). Changes in the epidemiological landscape of diabetes in South Korea: Trends in prevalence, incidence, and healthcare expenditures. Endocrinology and Metabolism (Seoul), 39(5), 669–677. https://doi.org/10.3803/EnM.2024.2073
12.
HeK.ZhangQ.YueJ.PuT.ChiH.WuQ.JiangS.YangG. (2024). Research progress in molecular mechanism of acupuncture for diabetes mellitus. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu, 44(11), 1357–1362. https://doi.org/10.13703/j.0255-2930.20240604-0003
13.
KimC. N.JungY. S.KimY. E.OckM.YoonS. J. (2024). Korean National burden of disease: The importance of diabetes management. Diabetes and Metabolism Journal, 48(4), 518–530. https://doi.org/10.4093/dmj.2024.0087
14.
KimJ.KangD.KangM.KangB.KangE. B.KangJ.GoY.KoW.KwakJ.KuH.GwonS. Y.GiY.KimG.KimG. M.KimK.KimK.KimD. H.KimM. W.KimM. C., … KimJ. (2013). A comparison of the effects of dexamethasone-pharmacopuncture and dexamethasone-oral administration based on traditional Korean medicine theory on anaphylactic reaction in mice. CellMed, 3(3), 24.1–24.5. https://doi.org/10.5667/tang.2013.0017
15.
KimY.KimW.KimS. H.SimK. S.KimK. H.ChoK. H.KwonG. S.LeeJ. B.KimJ. H. (2023). Protective effects of hemp (Cannabis sativa) Root Extracts Against Insulin-Deficient Diabetes Mellitus In Mice. Molecules, 28(9), 3814. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28093814
16.
KimM. R.LeeS. M.LeeY. J.HaI. H. (2023). Clinical research on pharmacopuncture in Korea: A scoping review. Perspectives on Integrative Medicine, 2(1), 8–23. https://doi.org/10.56986/pim.2023.02.003
17.
KimJ. H.LeeJ. O.MoonJ. W.KangM. J.ByunW. S.HanJ. A.KimS. J.ParkS. H.KimH. S. J. N. P. C. (2020). Laminarin from Salicornia herbacea stimulates glucose uptake through ampk-p38 mapk pathways in l6 muscle cells. Natural Product Communications, 15(3), 1934578. https://doi.org/10.1177/1934578X209014
18.
KoS. H.OhH. M.KwonD. Y.YangJ. E.KimB. J.HaH. J.LimE. J.OhM. S.SonC. G.LeeE. J. (2022). Incidence rate of bee venom acupuncture related anaphylaxis: A systematic review. Toxins (Basel), 14(4), 238. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins14040238
19.
KohliR.KaushikM. L.KadianJ. P.ChauhanB. (2020). Anti-diabetic activity of rhizome extracts of Imperata cylindrical against alloxan-induced diabetes mellitus in rats. International Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences, 11(Sppl 4), 2704–2709. https://doi.org/10.26452/ijrps.v11iSPL4.4544
20.
LeeS. W.NamM. H.LeeB. C. (2017). Herbal acupuncture for type 2 diabetes: A meta-analysis. Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 13(6), 3249–3256. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2017.4379
21.
LeeS. S.SeoH.RyuS.KwonT. D. (2015). The effect of swimming exercise and powdered-Salicornia herbacea L. ingestion on glucose metabolism in STZ-induced diabetic rats. Journal of Exercise Nutrition & Biochemistry, 19(3), 235–245. https://doi.org/10.5717/jenb.2015.15083110
22.
LiS. Q.ChenJ. R.LiuM. L.WangY. P.ZhouX.SunX. (2022). Effect and safety of acupuncture for type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 21 randomised controlled trials. Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine, 28(5), 463–471. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-021-3450-2
23.
LiY. Y.FengJ.ZhangX. L.CuiY. Y. (2015). Pine bark extracts: Nutraceutical, pharmacological, and toxicological evaluation. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 353(1), 9–16. https://doi.org/10.1124/jpet.114.220277
24.
LiH. Y.YiY. L.GuoS.ZhangF.YanH.ZhanZ. L.ZhuY.DuanJ. A. (2022). Isolation, structural characterization and bioactivities of polysaccharides from Laminaria japonica: A review. Food Chemistry, 370, 131010. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.131010
25.
LimX. Y.TanT. Y. C.Muhd RosliS. H.Sa'atM. N. F.Sirdar AliS.Syed MohamedA. F. (2021). Cannabis sativa subsp. sativa's pharmacological properties and health effects: A scoping review of current evidence. PLoS One, 16(1), e0245471. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245471
26.
LiuY.XuT. C.YuZ.XuB. (2022). Investigation on the mechanism of acupuncture in treatment of diabetes mellitus type 2 based on the network of islet macrophages-pancreatic adipose cells-islet beta cells. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu, 42(4), 433–436. https://doi.org/10.13703/j.0255-2930.20210126-k0004
27.
Nagulapalli VenkataK. C.SwaroopA.BagchiD.BishayeeA. (2017). A small plant with big benefits: Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum Linn.) for disease prevention and health promotion. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, 61, 1600950. https://doi.org/10.1002/mnfr.201600950
28.
NaickerN.NagiahS.PhulukdareeA.ChuturgoonA. (2016). Trigonella foenum-graecum seed extract, 4-hydroxyisoleucine, and metformin stimulate proximal insulin signaling and increase expression of glycogenic enzymes and GLUT2 in HepG2 cells. Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders, 14(2), 114–120. https://doi.org/10.1089/met.2015.0081
29.
ParkJ.LeeH.ShinB. C.LeeM. S.KimB.KimJ. I. (2016). Pharmacopuncture in Korea: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2016, 4683121. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/4683121
30.
SankarP.SubhashreeS.SudharaniS. (2012). Effect of Trigonella foenum-graecum seed powder on the antioxidant levels of high fat diet and low dose streptozotocin induced type II diabetic rats. European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences, 16(Suppl 3), 10–17.
31.
SetiyoriniE.QomaruddinM. B.WibisonoS.JuwariahT.SetyowatiA.WulandariN. A.SariY. K.SariL. T. (2022). Complementary and alternative medicine for glycemic control of diabetes mellitus: A systematic review. Journal of Public Health Research, 11(3), 22799036221106582. https://doi.org/10.1177/22799036221106582
32.
ShirosakiM.KoyamaT. (2011). Laminaria japonica as a food for the prevention of obesity and diabetes. Advances in Food and Nutrition Research, 64, 199–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-387669-0.00015-6
33.
StrattonI. M.AdlerA. I.NeilH. A.MatthewsD. R.ManleyS. E.CullC. A.HaddenD.TurnerR. C.HolmanR. R. (2000). Association of glycaemia with macrovascular and microvascular complications of type 2 diabetes (UKPDS 35): Prospective observational study. British Medical Journal, 321(7258), 405–412. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.321.7258.405
34.
Tanase ApetroaeiV.PricopE. M.IstratiD. I.VizireanuC. (2024). Hemp seeds (Cannabis sativa L.) as a valuable source of natural ingredients for functional foods-A review. Molecules, 29(9), 2097. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29092097
35.
WangY.XuG. N.WanR. H.ZhouX.MaL. Y.LiuB.ZhangY. Y.ZhouL. (2022). Acupuncture in treating obesity combined with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 49, 101658. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2022.101658
36.
XueW. L.LiX. S.ZhangJ.LiuY. H.WangZ. L.ZhangR. J. (2007). Effect of Trigonella foenum-graecum (fenugreek) extract on blood glucose, blood lipid and hemorheological properties in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 16(Suppl 1), 422–426. https://doi.org/10.6133/apjcn.2007.16.s1.77
37.
ZhangS.CuiY.SunZ. R.ZhouX. Y.CaoY.LiX. L.YinH. N. (2024). Research progress on the mechanism of acupuncture on type II diabetes mellitus. Zhen Ci Yan Jiu, 49(6), 641–649. https://doi.org/10.13702/j.1000-0607.20230372
