Effects of acupuncture and moxibustion at Feishu(BL13)on inflammatory responses and intestinal short-chain fatty acids in asthma model rats

Ling REN; Jingying ZHOU; Yitian LAI; Yizhuo QU; Guoshan ZHANG; Yanping YANG

ABSTRACT

Objective:

To observe the effects of acupuncture and moxibustion at Feishu(BL13)on inflammatory responses and intestinal short-chain fatty acids(SCFAs)in rats with asthma.

Methods:

Fifty-six Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a normal group(16 rats)and a modeling group(40 rats).Rats in the modeling group were subjected to establishing asthma models using ovalbumin(OVA).Model evaluation was conducted using 4 rats from each group.The remaining rats that successfully developed asthma were then randomly divided into a model group,an acupuncture group,and a moxibustion group,with 12 rats in each group.Rats in the acupuncture group received acupuncture treatments,and those in the moxibustion group received moxibustion treatments,both at Feishu(BL13)for 30 min.Following the treatments,the rats were exposed to atomization excitation with a 1%OVA solution for 20 min daily for 14 consecutive days.At the end of the experiment,inflammatory markers in the rats'peripheral blood were analyzed using a biochemical method.In addition,inflammatory cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF)were counted using Wright-Giemsa staining.The lung tissue of rats was examined under a light microscope after staining with hematoxylin-eosin to observe morphological or pathological changes.Furthermore,real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction was utilized to measure the mRNA expression of inflammatory factors in the lung tissue.Lastly,the concentration of SCFAs in the rat's feces was determined using gas chromatography-hydrogen flame ionization.

Results:

The levels of eosinophils(Eos),neutrophils(Neu),and lymphocytes(Lym)in the peripheral blood,as well as Eos and Neu in the BALF,and the expression of interleukin(IL)-4,IL-5,IL-13,IL-33,and thymic stromal lymphopoietin(TSLP)mRNAs in the lung tissue were all found to be significantly increased(P<0.05 or P<0.01);the lung tissue structure displayed severe injuries;the levels of acetic acid,propionic acid,isobutyric acid,butyric acid,and valeric acid in the feces decreased significantly in the model group(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the peripheral blood levels of Eos,Neu,and Lym,as well as Eos in the BALF,and the mRNA expression levels of IL-4 and IL-5 in the lung tissue decreased significantly in both the acupuncture group and the moxibustion group(P<0.05 or P<0.01).This reduction was accompanied by alleviated pathological damage in the lung tissue.Additionally,there were significant increases in the levels of acetic acid,propionic acid,isobutyric acid,and butyric acid in the feces in both the acupuncture group and the moxibustion group(P<0.05 or P<0.01).In the acupuncture group,the expression levels of Lym in the BALF and IL-13 mRNA in the lung tissue decreased significantly(P<0.05 or P<0.01).In the moxibustion group,the mRNA expression levels of IL-33 and TSLP in the lung tissue also reduced significantly(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Furthermore,the level of valeric acid in the feces increased notably in the moxibustion group(P<0.01).Compared with the acupuncture group,it was found that the mRNA levels of IL-5 and IL-13 in the lung tissue,as well as the acetic acid level in the feces,were significantly higher in the moxibustion group(P<0.05 or P<0.01).

Conclusion:

Both acupuncture and moxibustion were effective in reducing abnormal inflammation and regulating intestinal SCFAs in asthma model rats.Acupuncture demonstrated superiority in inhibiting pro-inflammatory factors,particularly IL-5 and IL-13,while moxibustion exhibited better regulation on intestinal metabolites SCFAs,especially acetic acid.