Effect of acupuncture on acupoint "Yingxiang-Hegu" on Th1, Th2 cytokines and T-bet/GATA-3 of allergic rhinitis rats

Objective:To explore the effect of"Yingxiang-Hegu"on Th1,Th2-related cytokines and[2]transcription factors T-bet and GATA-3 in rats with allergic rhinitis.Methods:Rats were randomly divided into three groups:blank group,model group and acupoint group.The rat model of ovalbumin(OVA)AR was established,and the general condition of the rats was observed and scored.Acupuncture intervention was performed on the acupoint group on the second day after successful modeling,once per day for 20 min for 10 d.After intervention,the general behavior,behavioral score and histomorphological changes of nasal mucosa were observed.Eosinophils(EOS)were counted under microscope after nasal lavage smear staining,and the contents of total IgE,IFN-γ,IL-12,IL-4 and IL-5 in serum were detected by ELISA.Westernblot and IHC were used to detect the protein level and positive protein expression of specific transcription factors T-bet and GATA-3 in rat nasal mucosa.Results:After the establishment of the model,except for the blank group,the behavioral observation scores of rats in the model group and acupoint group were more than 5 points,indicating that the model was successful.After acupuncture intervention on acupoint"Yingxiang-Hegu",the behavioral score of rats in the acupoint group and western medicine group was significantly lower than that in the model group(P<0.05).Microscopic examination showed that the structure of nasal mucosa in the model group was obviously damaged,cilia were arranged discontinuously,uneven,local congestion and swelling,a large number of epithelial cells exfoliated and necrotic,goblet cell proliferation,obvious inflammatory cell infiltration.The pathological degree of nasal mucosa in the pair point group was significantly less than that in the model group.Compared with the model group,the levels of IFN-γ,IL-2 and IL-12 in serum were significantly increased,while IgE,IL-4,IL-5 and IL-6 were significantly decreased,GATA-3 protein and positive expression in nasal mucosa were significantly decreased and T-bet was significantly increased after acupuncture.Conclusion:Acupuncture at"Yingxiang-Hegu"can effectively improve the nasal sensitive symptoms and control nasal inflammation in AR rats.The mechanism may be that acupuncture at Yingxiang-Hegu can up-regulate the expression of T-bet,decrease the level of GATA-3,promote the production of Th1 cytokines and inhibit the synthesis and secretion of Th2 cells,thus restoring the immune balance of Th1 and Th2.

Study on the Regulatory Effect of Electro-acupuncture on Hegu Point (LI4) in Cerebral Response with Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Objective： To study, through blood oxygen level dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging （BOLD fMRI）, the cerebral activated areas evoked by electro-acupuncturing （EA） the right Hegu point （LI4） or non-acupoint points on the face, and through comparing their similarities and differences, to speculate on the specific cerebral areas activated by stimulating LI4, for exploring the mechanism of its effect in potential clinical application. Methods： EA was applied at volunteers＇ right LI4 （of 9 subjects in the LI4 group） and facial non-acupoint points （of 5 subjects in the control group）, and whole brain 3-dimensional T1 anatomical imaging of high resolution 1 × 1 × 1 mm^3 used was performed with clustered stimulatory mode adopted by BOLD fMRI. Pretreatment and statistical t-test were conducted on the data by SPM2 software, then the statistical parameters were superimposed to the 3-dimensional anatomical imaging. Results： Data from 3 testees of the 9 subjects in the LI4 group were given up eventually because they were unfit to the demand due to different causes such as movement of patients＇ location or machinery factors. Statistical analysis showed that signal activation or deactivation was found in multiple cerebral areas in 6 subjects of LI4 group and 5 subjects of the control group （P〈0.01）. In the LI4 group, the areas which showed signal activation were： midline nuclear group of thalamus, left supra marginal gyrus, left supra temporal gyrus, right precuneous lobe, bilateral temporal pole, left precentral gyrus and left cerebellum; those which showed signal deactivation were： bilateral hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, amygdala body area, rostral side/audal side of cingulate gyrus, prefrontal lobe and occipital lobe as well as left infratemporal gyrus. In the control group, areas which showed signal activation were： bilateral frontal lobe, postcentral gyrus, Reil＇s island lobe, primary somato-sensory cortex, cingulate gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, occipital cuneiform gyrus and/or precuneus gyrus and right brainstem; and the area that showed deactivation was left median frontal lobe. Conclusion： The effects of EA LI4 in regulating cerebral activities could be displayed and recorded through BOLD fMRI, the distribution of signally deactivated area evoked by EA LI4 was similar to the known distribution of anatomical orientation of pain in brain, and closely related to the anatomic structure of limbic system, which areas are possibly the acupuncture analgesic effect＇s cerebral regulating area. Furthermore, activated portion of left central anterior gyrus, which represent the movement of oral facial muscles, and the activated portion of cerebellum are possibly related with the effect of using EA LI4 in treating facial palsy and facial muscle spasm. As for the mechanism of signal deactivation of cerebral activities exhibited in the present study that is unable to be elucidated, it awaits for further research.