Moxibustion improves experimental colitis in rats with Crohn's disease by regulating bile acid enterohepatic circulation and intestinal farnesoid X receptor / 中西医结合学报

OBJECTIVE@#This study was conducted to explore the mechanism of intestinal inflammation and barrier repair in Crohn's disease (CD) regulated by moxibustion through bile acid (BA) enterohepatic circulation and intestinal farnesoid X receptor (FXR).@*METHODS@#Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control group, CD model group, mild moxibustion group and herb-partitioned moxibustion group. CD model rats induced by 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid were treated with mild moxibustion or herb-partitioned moxibustion at Tianshu (ST25) and Qihai (CV6). The changes in CD symptoms were rated according to the disease activity index score, the serum and colon tissues of rats were collected, and the pathological changes in colon tissues were observed via histopathology. Western blot, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunofluorescence were used to evaluate the improvement of moxibustion on intestinal inflammation and mucosal barrier in CD by the BA-FXR pathway.@*RESULTS@#Mild moxibustion and herb-partitioned moxibustion improved the symptoms of CD, inhibited inflammation and repaired mucosal damage to the colon in CD rats. Meanwhile, moxibustion could improve the abnormal expression of BA in the colon, liver and serum, downregulate the expression of interferon-γ and upregulate the expression of FXR mRNA, and inhibit Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) mRNA. The IHC results showed that moxibustion could upregulate the expression of FXR and mucin2 and inhibit TLR4 expression. Western blot showed that moxibustion inhibited the protein expression of TLR4 and MyD88 and upregulated the expression of FXR. Immunofluorescence image analysis showed that moxibustion increased the colocalization sites and intensity of FXR with TLR4 or nuclear factor-κB p65. In particular, herb-partitioned moxibustion has more advantages in improving BA and upregulating FXR and TLR4 in the colon.@*CONCLUSION@#Mild moxibustion and herb-partitioned moxibustion can improve CD by regulating the enterohepatic circulation stability of BA, activating colonic FXR, regulating the TLR4/MyD88 pathway, inhibiting intestinal inflammation and repairing the intestinal mucosal barrier. Herb-partitioned moxibustion seems to have more advantages in regulating BA enterohepatic circulation and FXR activation. Please cite this article as: Shen JC, Qi Q, Han D, Lu Y, Huang R, Zhu Y, Zhang LS, Qin XD, Zhang F, Wu HG, Liu HR. Moxibustion improves experimental colitis in rats with Crohn's disease by regulating bile acid enterohepatic circulation and intestinal farnesoid X receptor. J Integr Med. 2023; 21(2): 194-204.

Comparison of therapeutic effects of acupuncture-cupping plus acupoint catgut embedding and electroacupuncture on simple obesity of stomach and intestine excess-heat type / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To search for a therapy of increasing clinical therapeutic effect on simple obesity with stomach and intestine excess-heat.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eighty-two cases of simple obesity with stomach and intestine excess-heat were randomly divided into group A (n=40) and group B (n=42). They were treated with electroacupuncture (EA), movable cupping plus acupoint catgut embedding, and simple EA, respectively. EA at Zhongwan (CV 12), Xiawan (CV 10) and Qihai (CV 6) were given in the two groups. And in the group A, acupoint catgut embedding and movable cupping at the Channels CV, GV, SP, ST and UB were added. The therapeutic effect, main symptoms, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), and WHR were investigated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The total effective rate was 90.0% in the group A, significantly better than 78.6% in the group B (P< 0. 01), with significant differences in decrease of body weight, BMI, WC, HC and main symptoms between the two groups (P<0.05, P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Acupuncture, cupping plus acupoint catgut embedding therapy can increase therapeutic effect on simple obesity of stomach and intestine excess-heat type, and it is a better method for treatment of this disease.</p>

Controlled study of needle warming therapy and electroacupuncture on simple obesity of spleen deficiency type / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare therapeutic effects of needle warming therapy and electroacupuncture on simple obesity with spleen deficiency.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty-eight cases of simple obesity with spleen deficiency, including water-dampness retention due to spleen deficiency, qi-deficiency of the lung and spleen, yang-deficiency of the spleen and kidney, were randomly divided into a needle warming therapy group (n = 36) and an electroacupuncture group (n = 32). Zhongwan(CV 12), Shuifen (CV 9), Qihai (CV 6), Zhongji (CV 3), Tianshu (ST 25), Shuidao (ST 28), and so on were selected as main acupoints in the both groups. Their therapeutic effects and body mass indexes were observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The total effective rate was 88.9% in the needle warming therapy group and 71.9% in the electroacupuncture group with a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.05); and there was a significant difference between the two groups in decrease of body mass index (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Needle warming therapy has definite and long-term therapeutic effect on simple obesity with spleen deficiency.</p>