Energy has the same characteristics of Qi in traditional Chinese medicine

Xio Dngsheng(肖党生), Li Shengjie(郦圣捷), Zhu Qiuhong(朱秋红), Fng Hui(方辉), nd Pn Huiyun(潘慧云)

Energy has the same characteristics of Qi in traditional Chinese medicine

Xiao Dangsheng(肖党生)a, Li Shengjie(郦圣捷)b, Zhu Qiuhong(朱秋红)c, Fang Hui(方辉)b, and Pan Huiyun(潘慧云)d＊

Giving the accurate definition of the core part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is another way for the modernization of TCM. Many researchers had launched their original researches on this way and realized that qi got some characteristics of energy. In this paper, energy is also thought as having the same characteristics as qi for energy is invisible and filled with cell in different patterns. The movement of qi in cell can be understood as the transformations of the chemical energy. So, cell should be regarded as a device which is organized by biomelocules for the transformation from chemical energy to heat energy.

Metabolism; Energy; System Biology; Qi; Oxidation

INTRODUCTION

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), an interesting framework for treating diseases, is facing inevitable challenges from modern medicine. In order to overcome these challenges and modernize TCM, many researchers launched their understandings on the core parts of TCM, such as Qi1,2, Xue3,4, Yin-yang theory5-7, wuxing theory[8,9]. Most of understandings in these field are based on the paradigm of TCM or Traditional Chinese Culture10,11. A few of researchers had realized that the development of system biology would be beneficial for the modernization of TCM12, but there is little progress in such direction in recent years. Currently, there are two principle streams within systems biology: 1) Pragmatic system biology, which emphasized the utilization of large-scale molecular analysis and computer technology13,14; and 2) Theoretic system biology, which will take radical changes for theoretic and methodological approaches in biological researches15. Factually, the goal of pragmatic system biology is to screen the biomarks for diagnosis and biological targets for treatment while the development of theoretic system biology is still on the way to construct the ideal model for further researches. Our opinion is that modernization of TCM will be helpful for the development of system biology, particularly for the development of theoretic system biology while the initial step is to give the accurate medical interpretation of core concepts in TCM, such as Qi, Xue, Yin-yang, Wuxing.

In recent decades, some researchers had gradually realized that Qi in TCM got some characteristics of energy16,17. Our initial research had suggested that Qi in TCM should be regarded as energy7,9. Qi is a fundamental substance that builds our body and makes our body function. Qi, which is in constant motion, is also invisible and filled with our body in different patterns which are named as Yuan-qi (the primordial qi), Zong-qi (pectorial qi), Ying-qi(nutrient qi) and Wei-qi(defensive qi) respectively. Although energy is also invisible, which is the same as Qi, no abstractions about the patterns and the motions of energy in our body or in a cell are launched, which will afford some clear understanding of qi in the term of energy.

THE PATTERN OF ENERGY APPEARING IN CELL

Energy, an invisible substance in the universe, can be detected and calculated, just like light energy, wind energy, heat energy, chemical energy, electric energy, atomic energy and so on. In cell, not all patterns of energy in the universe can appear in cell and only a few of them will attend the metabolisms in cell.

Mechanical energy

In cell, the contraction of muscle fibers should be regarded as mechanical energy. So, following phenomena can also be regarded as the pattern of mechanical energy, for example cell migrating, heart-beating, breathing, walking, speaking and so on.

Heat energy

Generally, heat energy is always regarded as irregular motion of molecules. In cell, all molecules undergo this pattern of motion. The heat energy that a molecule is carrying can be calculated by the formula E=1/2MV2. Theoretically, this formula implies that a molecule with higher velocity will carry more energy although its molecular weight is small. The laws of collision and inertia in physics discover that a molecule with the small molecular weight will be much easier to get high velocity. So small molecule can get more heat energy with higher velocity. In cell, water (H2O), a most stable and smallest molecule, can easily get high velocity. Therefore, water should be regarded as an important carrier of heat energy. Another parameter for describing the heat energy is the temperature. The place with high temperature always implies the accumulation of heat energy with an amount of irregular molecule motion.

Electric potential energy

Membrane potential is the typical example of electric potential energy in cell. Perhaps, there is no other pattern of electric potential energy in cell.

Chemical energy

The main pattern of energy in cell is chemical energy, which is carried by all biomelocules. One organic molecule should be regarded as a carrier of chemical energy for all of them can be oxidized for releasing energy. With the alternation from one molecule to another one, the chemical energy will also get some changed. In the term of chemical energy, chemical reaction is the way that one pattern of chemical energy transforms to another one. Chemical energy has two advantages in cell. Firstly, chemical energy can be released by the oxidation of these biomolecules. In cell, nearly all biomolecules can be oxidized. Monosaccharides, fatty acids and amino acids, which should be regarded as energy carriers, can oxidize for releasing an amount of energy. Polysaccharides, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids must be hydrolyzed into monosaccharides, fatty acids, amino acids and nucleotides respectively, which will be oxidized for energy releasing latterly. Other organic molecules, such as nucleosides, vitamins can also be oxidized but the number of them in cell is so small as to afford a little of energy. Secondly, chemical energy can be stored in cell. Both biomacromolecules, such as proteins, glycoproteins, lipoproteins, polysaccharides and other organic molecules, such as monosaccharides, fatty acids and amino acids, can be regarded as the patterns for storing the chemical energy. Therefore, cell is assembled by all biomolecules which carry the chemical energy.

Other pattern of energy in cell

Other patterns of energy in cell include the intermolecular potential energy and light energy. Intermolecular potential energy will play some important function in certain physiological process for example the contraction of muscle fiber while the light energy can rarely be seen except in few light-emitting cells, such as lightemitting cells in fireflies.

THE PATTERN OF ENERGY THAT CELL CAN OBTAIN

Not all energy can enter cell directly. Factually, only a few pattern of energy can be accepted by cell.

Light energy

Cell with chloroplasts can accept light energy. In the chloroplasts, light energy is transformed into chemical energy which is then stored as glucose. This is called as photosynthesis that will denote all energy to the whole biosphere.

Chemical energy

For most of cells, chemical energy is the main pattern of energy to be accepted. Monosaccharides, fatty acids and amino acids are the main molecular which carry the chemical energy into cell. Other organic molecules, such as nucleosides as well as vitamins can also carry chemical energy into cell but they only afford a little of energy for cells because they are less in cell. Biomacromolecules, such as proteins, glycoproteins, lipoproteins, and polysaccharides also carries an amount of chemical energy but they can not enter cell directly unless they are decomposed into monosaccharides, fatty acids and/or amino acids. So, monosaccharides, fatty acids and amino acids should be named as energy carriers for cell.

Heat energy

Heat energy can enter cell by improving the motion of all kind of molecular in cell. In fact, heat energy is not the main pattern that cell obtains the energy.

Other energy

No more other patterns of energy, such as wind energy, electric energy, can be accepted by cell.

Human being is multicellular creature with a variety of cells. Generally, the patterns of energy that our body can accept are only chemical energy and heat energy. For our body, foods are the carriers of chemical energy but they must be digested into monosaccharides, fatty acids and amino acids which will take chemical energy into our body for metabolism. Heat energy enters our body by surging the motion of molecules in our body. Without chloroplast in cells, our body can not accept the light energy.

TRANSFORMATION OF ENERGY IN CELL

Chemical energy is the main energy that cell can obtain. After chemical energy enters cell, they will be transformed into other energies as following.

Transformations between chemical energy

Monosaccharides, fatty acids and amino acids are the main carriers of chemical energy for cell. When they enter cells, there are three metabolic pathways for them to be transformed. The first is oxidation. When these energy carriers are oxidized, an amount of energies are released and the chemical energy will be transformed into heat energy. The second pathway for them is the synthesis of macromolecular, such as polysaccharides, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. These macromolecular can not only construct the structure of cell, play the certain functions, but also store the chemical energy for monosaccharides and amino acids, which are in turn stored as polysaccharides and/or protein. The third pathway is to synthesize other organic molecular, such as lactic acids, alcohols, neurotransmitters, steroid hormones, etc.

Transformation from chemical energy to heat energy

When monosaccharides, fatty acids and amino acids are oxidized completely, no more than 40% chemical energy are restored as adenosine triphosphates (ATP) and the rest will be released as heat energy. After being hydrolyzed, ATP will also release the carried chemical energy as heat energy. So, the ideal should be accepted that the main transformation of energy in cell is from chemical energy to heat energy by chemical reaction. In cell, water is a most stable and smallest molecule, which will become the main carriers of heat energy.

Transformation from chemical energy to mechanical energy

Muscle fiber is the device for the transformation from chemical energy to mechanical energy while the chemical energy is supplied by ATP. All kinds of mechanical movement in the body, such as muscle contraction, walking, breathing and so on, are relied on this transformation. Abnormality of this process will causes many diseases, for example bronchial smooth muscle stiffness leading to asthma, intestinal smooth muscle stiffness contraction causing abdominal pain, tonic contraction of vascular smooth muscle causing high blood pressure.

Transformation from chemical energy to potential energy

Cell membrane potential is the result of transformation from chemical energy to potential energy. At the condition that ATP affords sufficient chemical energy, Sodium-potassium atpase (Na-K-ATPase) in the membrane pumps the sodium ions out of cell and the potassium ions into cell, which will lead to ion concentration gradient between extracellular and intracellular and resting potential is established.

THE DESTINATION OF ENERGY IN CELL

Chemical energy is the main pattern of energy that most of cells can obtain directly. After entering cell, how do these energy leave out of cell? The following are the patterns for energy leaving out of cell.

Heat energy

Most of chemical energy in cell will be transformed into heat energy by oxidation. In cell, water, a magical molecule with its stability and lower molecular weight, is the carrier of heat energy. When water gets heat energy, the motion of water will be elevated, which will surge the water leaving cell at higher velocity. Water is also one of the end products of oxidation and condensation reaction. When water leaves reaction system with the heat energy, the oxidation reaction and condensation reaction in cell will undergo continuously. On the other hand, cell can also get water from its surroundings. In case that too much energy is released by oxidation or other reaction, cell can absorb more water for carrying the heat energy away so as to keep metabolism stable. In fact, other small molecules can also take heat energy away from cell, for example, oxygen. Unfortunately, oxygen leaves the cells with some inhabitation on the oxidation in cell.

Chemical energy

Organic molecule is the carrier of the chemical energy. When organic molecules leave the cell, they also take energy away from the cell. After monosaccharides, fatty acids and amino acids enter cell, it is nearly impossible for them to leave cell as they are. Only in human intestinal epithelial cells, glucose in cell can be discharged by the glucose carrier in the cell membrane. Most of cells discharge chemical energy by secreting newly synthesized molecules, for example, nerve cells secreting acetylcholine, epinephrine and gamma aminobutyric acid; adrenal cortical cells secreting glucocorticoid; bacteria producing alcohol, lactic acid, vitamin and so on.

Secretion of proteins or peptides is the most efficient and the most complicated way to eliminate chemical energy for cell. In this process, cell will consume a large amounts of amino acids and ATP while genetic information is also involved in this process.

Other pattern for releasing the energy

Perhaps, there are no more patterns for cell to releasing energyexcept that a few of light-emitting cells can discharge energy by glowing, such as fireflies.

THE MOVING PATTERN OF ENERGY

One of the characteristic of qi is its constant movement. The movement of qi is abstracted into four basic patterns, namely ascending, descending, coming-in and going-out respectively. In cell, energy has the same characteristics as qi so some novel physical definitions about the movement of qi will be launched here. After entering cell, energy, especially chemical energy, are continuously transformed and released, which is named as metabolism. Therefore, the whole of metabolism can also be divided into four processes: inputting of energy, transforming of energy, oxidation of chemical energy and releasing of heat energy.

Coming-in of Qi

The physical implication of this process is the inputting of energy to cell, especially chemical energy. This is the initial step for all of metabolism in cells.

Ascending of Qi

The physical implication of this process is the transformation of chemical energy. When monosaccharides, fatty acids and amino acids carrying the chemical energy enter cell, there are two pathways for there metabolism, one is stored as polysaccharides, proteins and lipids; the other one is to be degraded for the synthesis of acetyl coenzyme A (Co-A) which is the endpoint of this process. During this process, there are many mid-products, part of which can be secreted out of cell, such as proteins, neurotransmitters, lactic acid, alcohol, ketone. The appearances of cellular function and structure are also stemmed from this process.

Descending of Qi

The physical implication of this process is the oxidation of chemical energy. In cell, Co-A is the initial point of this process while the carbon dioxide (CO2), water (H2O) and ATP are the end-products. Most parts of this process undergo in mitochondrion and the election oxidation in mitochondrion is the most irreversible reaction which destines the oxidation of chemical energy carriers. Other functions of the process are to afford a lot of ATP for the metabolisms in cell and to transform the chemical energy into heat energy.

Going-out of Qi

The physical implication of this process is the releasing of heat energy. In cell, most of chemical energy will be transformed into heat energy which will be carried out of cell by end products, such as water and CO2. Other biomelocules, being secreted out of cell, can also take a part of heat energy away, such as proteins, neurotransmitters, lactic acid, alcohol, ketone and so on. When the end product and biomelocules leave cell with heat energy, the metabolism in cell can undergo continuously and the cell will be in living.

SUMMARY

Although there are still some doubts on the theory of TCM18, giving accurate physical definitions of core concepts in TCM is another way for the modernization of TCM. Many researchers had devoted their best to this field. On this way, a novel milestone had been set here that Qi should be regarded as energy. Qi is filled in out body just like that a cell is assembled by a variety of chemical energy which is carried by biomolecules. The energy has the same characteristics as Qi as well as the qi can also appear and is filled within cell just like the energy does. So, a cell can be looked as a device which is self-organized by biomelocules for the transformation from chemical energy to heat energy while the transformation of chemical energy will just afford the explanation on the motion of qi in cell. In all, the patterns of qi movement can be interpreted as the transformation of chemical energy to heart energy.

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(Accepted: March 22, 2016)

a: VIP Ward,The first Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310000, China

b: Department of Internal Medicine,College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310000, China,

c: Department of Nutriology, The first Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310000, China

d: Department of Gerontology, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310000, China

Funding: This study was supported by The National Natural Science Foundation of China (81300302).

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