Characteristic Features of a Nerve Primo-vessel Suspended in Rabbit Brain Ventricle and Central Canal

Abstract

Bonghan theory was proposed by Bonghan Kim to illustrate the anatomy and physiology of the acupuncture meridian system. One of his astonishing claims was the physical presence of the nerve primo-vessel, which can be involved with a regenerating system of nerves. Our previous work has shown that there is a nerve primo-vessel in brain ventricles and the central canal of the spine of a rabbit. In this study, confocal laser scanning microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and high voltage electron microscopy demonstrated that a nerve primo-vessel comprised DNA particles, other microparticles, and rod-shaped nuclei encircled by helix-shaped actins. The nerve primo-vessel had acridine orange-stained DNA particles that varied in size and were in parallel. These characteristics of the nerve primo-vessel are crucial for a comprehensive understanding of their function in the central nervous system, which may be associated with nerve regeneration. © 2010 Korean Pharmacopuncture Institute.