A Study on the Regularity of Acupoint Match Based on Association Rules with SP6 as the Main Acupoint and Its Clinical Application

Weilu Cheng; Lili Zhang; Biwei Chen; Xin Tian; Yaqi Yao; Zezhou Zhang; Shaozong Chen

doi:10.2147/IJGM.S441978

A Study on the Regularity of Acupoint Match Based on Association Rules with SP6 as the Main Acupoint and Its Clinical Application

Int J Gen Med. 2023 Dec 4:16:5675-5693. doi: 10.2147/IJGM.S441978. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Weilu Cheng^#¹, Lili Zhang^#¹, Biwei Chen¹, Xin Tian¹, Yaqi Yao¹, Zezhou Zhang¹, Shaozong Chen^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong, People's Republic of China.
² Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion and Massage, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong, People's Republic of China.
³ Shaozong Chen, Cross-Regional Acupuncture Data Open Application Laboratory in the Yellow River Basin, Jinan, Shandong, People's Republic of China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to explore formula patterns and application rules for SP6 as the main acupoint in prescriptions, utilizing association rules.

Methods: We conducted an extensive search in databases including China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform (CDDB), China Science and Technology Journal Database (CSTJ), PubMed and Web of Science databases for literature published between January 2013 and June 2023, focusing on acupuncture prescriptions with SP6 as the main acupoint for various diseases. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied for literature screening. Relevant data was extracted, creating a database. Acupoints in conjunction with SP6 were analyzed using SPSS Modeler 18.0 and Cytoscape 3.7.2 software for acupoints appearing ≥15 times. Gephi software constructed a complex network model. The frequency of acupuncture points was analyzed to summarize the composition rules and clinical application rules of acupuncture points.

Results: A total of 902 articles met inclusion criteria, yielding 672 prescriptions with SP6 as the main acupoint, paired with 197 different acupoints including ST36, CV4, and LI4. Neurological, obstetric, and gynecologic, as well as urological diseases, were predominantly treated. Among them, the predominant diseases include insomnia, primary dysmenorrhea, sequelae of stroke, and others, totaling 42 types.

Conclusion: SP6-based prescriptions exhibit diverse applications, effectively treating insomnia, post-stroke sequelae, and primary dysmenorrhea. Commonly paired acupoints belong to Conception Vessel, Stomach meridian of foot-yangming, and Governor Vessel, and there are certain rules in their composition.

Keywords: SP6; Sanyinjiao; acupoint combinations regularity; acupuncture prescriptions; application regularity.

Grants and funding

This research was supported by the project of the National Key R&D Program of China (No2019YFC1712105), the Major Basic Research Project of Shandong Natural Science Foundation (No.ZR2020ZD17), the Research and Innovation Fund of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (No. 2018-220315), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No82205290), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No82205290), Shandong Traditional Chinese Medicine Technology Project (No2021M144), and Shandong Traditional Chinese Medicine Technology Project (N02020Q007).