Preliminary Conception of Theory of Triple Energizer-nutrient-defense Loop / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

The research on the essence of triple energizer has not reached a consensus. The correspondence between the existing understanding and the classical theory of triple energizer is still limited in terms of structure and function. According to the traditional theory， nutrient-defense takes channels as the main circulatory system， while the operation of nutrient-defense in the triple energizer remains unclear. Since little is known about the physical structure of the triple energizer， the role of triple energizer as a collection of other Zang-fu organs has been ignored in most cases. The new progress in anatomy paves the way for the research on the essence of triple energizer. The function and structure of triple energizer are similar to those of interstitium and interfacial fluid flow， which enriches our understanding of the macro and micro structures of triple energizer. The triple energizer is distributed throughout the body and composed of membrane and interstitial space. The material structure of triple energizer includes fiber scaffold， collagen fiber， mesenchymal stem cells， histiocytes， pericytes， and interstitial fluid. The functions of triple energizer include passing body fluids， operating nutrient-defense， distributing original Qi， and transmitting and changing pathogenic Qi. According to the available theories and research achievements， we put forward the concept of vertical and horizontal triple energizer， pointed out that triple energizer had independent structure and the features of Zang-fu organs， and preliminarily defined the spatial distribution of triple energizer. The relationship between channels and triple energizer is essential for discussing the operation of nutrient-defense. Telocyte （Tc） and telopod （Tp） has the characteristics of channels in function and structure. The connective tissue with the distribution of Tc and Tp belongs to the same material as the basic structure of interstitial/interfacial fluid flow system and the fibrous skeleton of interstitium. It is clear that channels and triple energizer have material commonality. From the operation paths of nutrient-defense， we proposed that channels may be soaked and attached in triple energizer and put forward the model of channels soaked and attached in triple energizer. By combining the circulation of nutrient-defense with the vertical and horizontal triple energize， we developed the theory of triple energizer-nutrient-defense loop to comprehensively describe the generation， transport， and metabolism of nutrient-defense in channels and triple energizer， aiming to provide a theoretical model for future studies of disease transmission and change from exterior to interior.