Effect of Warm Needling Moxibustion on Articular Cartilage Vimentin in Rats with Rheumatoid Arthritis / 上海针灸杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the impact of warm needling moxibustion on articular cartilage vimentin and the regulating effect on inflammatory factors in rats with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods Forty SD rats (half male and half female) were randomized to normal,model,acupuncture and warm needling moxibustion groups,10 rats each.A rat model of RA was made by intradermal injection of bovine type II collagen for 21-day inoculation inducement.At one day after model making,the warm needling moxibustion group was treated with warm needling moxibustion on points Zusanli,Shenshu and Xuanzhong (manual needling plus suspended moxibustion) and the acupuncture group,with acupuncture alone,for a total of 21 days.In all the rats after the completion of corresponding treatments,knee joint volume was measured by drainage,serum inflammatory factors IL-1β and IL-4 contents were determined by radioimmunology and the expression of vimentin in knee joint synovium was examined by immunehistochemical method.Results As compared with the normal group,knee joint swelling was marked,serum inflammatory factors IL-1β and IL-4 contents were higher and the expression of vimentin in knee joint synovium increased in the model group of rats.There were statistically significant differences (P＜0.01).As compared with the model group,knee joint swelling improved markedly,inflammatory factor IL-1β content decreased,IL-4 content increased and vimentin expression decreased in the acupuncture and warm needling moxibustion groups of rats.There were statistically significant differences (P＜0.05).As compared with the acupuncture group,knee joint swelling improved more,serum inflammatory factor IL-1β content decreased significantly,IL-4 content increased significantly and the expression of vimentin in knee joint synovium increased in the warm needling moxibustion group of rat.There were statistically significant differences (P＜0.05).Conclusions Warm needling moxibustion can effectively reduce articular inflammatory injury and decrease serum inflammatory factors and the expression of vimentin in knee joint synovium in RA rats.Regulating vimentin may be one of the mechanisms by which warm needling moxibustion reduce RA inflammatory injury.Warm needling moxibustion is more effective than acupuncture in treating RA.