The Mechanistic Studies of Acupuncture and Moxibustion in Taiwan

Traditional Chinese acupuncture has a history of over 2500 years. It is effective in the treatment of many conditions with few side effects. The best known mechanism is via endogenous opiates and their receptors. In addition to opioids, researchers have focused on the role of central monoamimergic systems. Acupuncture therapy is used not only to relieve pain but also to treat various medical conditions in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. Some experiments have revealed a relationship between acupuncture and the autonomic nervous system （ANS）. Besides, electroacupuncture （EA） can modulate the imbalance between innate and acquired immune systems. This review is focusing on the mechanistic studies of acupuncture that my colleagues and I have performed in Taiwan in recent years. We found that EA analgesia was closely related to not only the serotonergic neurons but also the adrenergic neurons in the central nervous system. The electrophysiological recordings suggested the involvement of the cerebral cortex in acupuncture. Local somatothermal stimulation inhibited the motility of sphincter of Oddi and internal anal sphincter through nitrergic neural release of nitric oxide. Mild local heat stress upregulated hepatic gene expression of heat shock protein 70 and protected the liver from subsequent ischemia- reperfusion injury. These studies supplement the knowledge of the mechanism of acupuncture.

Regioselective electrochemical radical cascade cyclization of internal alkynes to selenated and trifluoromethylated dihydropyran

Dihydropyran(DHP)compounds are not only found in natural products and bioactive molecules,but also serve as important precursors in organic synthesis.Nonetheless,traditional methods for the construction of such compounds are usually limited to disubstituted DHPs.To address this synthetic challenge,reported here is an efficient electrochemical strategy toward the selenated and trifluoromethylated DHP compounds.The reaction proceeded smoothly under mild electrolysis conditions.The broad substrate scope(>50 examples)and scalable synthesis demonstrated the complexity-building potential of the strategy.Initial mechanistic studies reveal that cyclization may involve a radical process.This protocol may promote the further development of diversified synthesis of multi-substituted dihydropyran.

MnBr_(2)catalyzed regiospecific oxidative Mizoroki-Heck type reaction

Herein, we report an unprecedented regiospecific oxidative Mizoroki-Heck type reaction for the synthesis of α-difluoromethyl homoallylic alcohols. The reaction shows broad substrate scopes and high functional group tolerance. Late-stage functionalization of complex biologically active molecules demonstrates the synthetic potential of this transformation. Mechanistic study supports the involvement of MnBr_(2) catalyzed radical 1,2-silyl transfer.