Morphological study on colonic pathology in ulcerative colitis treated by moxibustion

AIM To observe the therapeutic effect ofmoxibustion on ulcerative colitis and itsinfluence on the colonic mucosal morphology.METHODS Forty-six patients with ulcerativecolitis were randomly divided into themoxibustion with herbal medicine underneathgroup and the western medicine group.Thirtypatients were treated with the abovemoxibustion and 16 patients with Salicylayefapyridine(SASP).The colonic mucosa of 13patients in the moxibustion group was observedby colonoscopy before and after the treatment.Mucin was also analyzed by H.E and AB-PASstaining.RESULTS Seventeen patients were clinicallycured,12 were improved and 1 unchanged in themoxibustion group.In the control group,5patients were clinically cured,7 improved and 4unchanged.Thirteen patients with active UCwere taken as the subjects for histopathologicanalysis in this study.The colonic mucosallesions were remarkably improved and thecharacteristic of the mucin also changed.Inmost sections,the chronic inflammation ofmucosa was geatly ameliorated(P【0.01).Theinflammatory cell infiltratation much decreased and neutrophils,disapeared in most sections(P【0.001).The goblet cells significantlyincreased(P【0.001);crypt paracrypt abscessor mucosal ulceration was seen(P【0.001).CONCLUSION The rate of cure of ulcerative colitis by moxibustion with herbal medicine beneath is superior to that by SASP. This sort of moxibustion can effectively improve the colonic mucosal lesions and restore the proportion of mucoprotein to near normal.