Wet-cupping removes oxidants and decreases oxidative stress

- Wet cupping therapy is a conventional treatment method which is used for the treatment of many diseases.
- Despite its common use mechanism of action of wet cupping is not fully known.
- In this study, we investigated the relationships between oxidative stress and wet cupping therapy.
- Our results showed that wet cupping therapy removes oxidants.

SummaryObjectivesWet-cupping therapy is one of the oldest known medical techniques. Although it is widely used in various conditions such as acute\chronic inflammation, infectious diseases, and immune system disorders, its mechanism of action is not fully known. In this study, we investigated the oxidative status as the first step to elucidate possible mechanisms of action of wet cupping.Material and methodsWet cupping therapy is implemented to 31 healthy volunteers. Venous blood samples and Wet cupping blood samples were taken concurrently. Serum nitricoxide, malondialdehyde levels and activity of superoxide dismutase and myeloperoxidase were measured spectrophotometrically.ResultsWet cupping blood had higher activity of myeloperoxidase, lower activity of superoxide dismutase, higher levels of malondialdehyde and nitricoxide compared to the venous blood.ConclusionWet cupping removes oxidants and decreases oxidative stress.