Acupuncture reduces peripheral and brainstem cytokines in rats subjected to lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation

The Effects of Glutamine Supplementation on Liver Inflammatory Response and Protein Metabolism in Muscle of Lipopolysaccharide-Challenged Broilers

The aim of our present study was to investigate the effects of Gln supplementation on liver inflammatory responses as well as protein synthesis and degradation in the muscle of LPS-challenged broilers. A total of 120 one-day-old male broiler chickens (Arbor Acres Plus) were randomly arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial design with five replicates per treatment and six broilers per replicate, containing two main factors: immune challenge (injected with LPS in a dose of 0 or 500 µg/kg of body weight) and dietary treatments (supplemented with 1.22% alanine or 1% Gln). After feeding with an alanine or Gln diet for 15 days, broilers were administrated an LPS or a saline injection at 16 and 21 days. The results showed that Gln supplementation alleviated the increased mRNA expressions of interleukin-6, interleukin-1β, and tumor necrosis factor-α induced by LPS in liver. Moreover, the increased activity of aspartate aminotransferase combined with the decreased expression of glutaminase in muscle were observed following Gln addition. In addition, in comparison with the saline treatment, LPS challenge altered the signaling molecules' mRNA expressions associated with protein synthesis and degradation. However, Gln supplementation reversed the negative effects on protein synthesis and degradation in muscle of LPS-challenged broilers. Taken together, Gln supplementation had beneficial effects: alleviating inflammatory responses, promoting protein synthesis, and inhibiting protein degradation of LPS-challenged broilers.

Revealing the biological mechanism of acupuncture in alleviating excessive inflammatory responses and organ damage in sepsis: a systematic review

Sepsis is a systemic inflammation caused by a maladjusted host response to infection. In severe cases, it can cause multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and even endanger life. Acupuncture is widely accepted and applied in the treatment of sepsis, and breakthroughs have been made regarding its mechanism of action in recent years. In this review, we systematically discuss the current clinical applications of acupuncture in the treatment of sepsis and focus on the mechanisms of acupuncture in animal models of systemic inflammation. In clinical research, acupuncture can not only effectively inhibit excessive inflammatory reactions but also improve the immunosuppressive state of patients with sepsis, thus maintaining immune homeostasis. Mechanistically, a change in the acupoint microenvironment is the initial response link for acupuncture to take effect, whereas PROKR2 neurons, high-threshold thin nerve fibres, cannabinoid CB2 receptor (CB2R) activation, and Ca2+ influx are the key material bases. The cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway of the vagus nervous system, the adrenal dopamine anti-inflammatory pathway, and the sympathetic nervous system are key to the transmission of acupuncture information and the inhibition of systemic inflammation. In MODS, acupuncture protects against septic organ damage by inhibiting excessive inflammatory reactions, resisting oxidative stress, protecting mitochondrial function, and reducing apoptosis and tissue or organ damage.

Sympathoinhibitory electroacupuncture (EA) interacts positively with anti-inflammatory EA alleviating blood pressure in hypertensive rats

Elevated sympathetic activity and chronic inflammation are known contributory factors observed in hypertension. We have observed that sympathoinhibitory electroacupuncture (SI-EA) at acupoints ST36-37 alleviates sympathetic activity and hypertension. Additionally, EA at acupoints SP6-7 exerts anti-inflammatory (AI-EA) effects. However, it is not known whether simultaneous stimulation of this combination of acupoints attenuates or enhances individual effects. A 2 × 2 factorial design was used to test the hypothesis that combining SI-EA and AI-EA (cEA) leads to greater reduction of hypertension by decreasing sympathetic activity and inflammation in hypertensive rats than either set of acupoints alone. Dahl salt-sensitive hypertensive (DSSH) rats were treated with four EA regimens including cEA, SI-EA, AI-EA, and sham-EA twice weekly for five weeks. A group of normotensive (NTN) rats served as control. Systolic and diastolic BP (SBP and DBP) and heart rate (HR) were measured non-invasively by tail-cuff. Plasma norepinephrine (NE), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) concentrations were determined with ELISA at the completion of treatments. DSSH rats on high salt diet progressively developed moderate hypertension within five weeks. DSSH rats treated with sham-EA showed continuous increase in SBP and DBP and elevations in plasma NE, hs-CRP, and IL-6 levels relative to NTN control. Both SI-EA and cEA decreased SBP and DBP, and had corresponding changes in biomarkers (NE, hs-CRP, and IL-6) compared with sham-EA. AI-EA prevented SBP and DBP elevation and decreased IL-6 and hs-CRP relative to sham-EA. Importantly in DSSH rats that received repetitive cEA treatment, SI-EA interacted positively with AI-EA leading to greater reduction of SBP, DBP, NE, hs-CRP, and IL-6 than SI-EA or AI-EA alone. These data suggest that by targeting both elevated sympathetic activity and chronic inflammation, cEA regimen results in a greater reduction of BP effects in treating hypertension compared to using individual SI-EA or AI-EA alone.

Shared nociceptive dorsal root ganglion neurons participating in acupoint sensitization

When the body is under pathological stress (injury or disease), the status of associated acupoints changes, including decreased pain threshold. Such changes in acupoint from a “silent” to an “active” state are considered “acupoint sensitization,” which has become an important indicator of acupoint selection. However, the mechanism of acupoint sensitization remains unclear. In this study, by retrograde tracing, morphological, chemogenetic, and behavioral methods, we found there are some dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons innervating the ST36 acupoint and ipsilateral hind paw (IHP) plantar simultaneously. Inhibition of these shared neurons induced analgesia in the complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) pain model and obstruction of nociceptive sensation in normal mice, and elevated the mechanical pain threshold (MPT) of ST36 acupoint in the CFA model. Excitation of shared neurons induced pain and declined the MPT of ST36 acupoint. Furthermore, most of the shared DRG neurons express TRPV1, a marker of nociceptive neurons. These results indicate that the shared nociceptive DRG neurons participate in ST36 acupoint sensitization in CFA-induced chronic pain. This raised a neural mechanism of acupoint sensitization at the level of primary sensory transmission.

Sida tuberculata: In vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo anti-inflammatory effect

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Sida tuberculata R. E. Fries (Malvaceae) is a pioneer species considered a weed in farm fields in Southern Brazil. Widely distributed in South Brazil, S. tuberculata is popularly used to treat inflammatory conditions.

AIMS OF THE STUDY

The current study aimed to assess the in vitro cytotoxic and in vivo anti-inflammatory properties of S. tuberculata.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Initially, extracts obtained from leaves (STLE) and roots (STRE) were submitted to cytotoxicity tests using human leukocytes (non-malignant cell line) and HepG2 and MCF-7 (tumor cell lines). In sequence, anti-inflammatory properties were investigated against carrageenan-induced peritonitis model.

RESULTS

In vitro analyses displayed a significant decrease in human leukocytes viability without genotoxic damage. IC₅₀ results from tumor cells presented significant decrease in cell viability, slightly more pronounced for STRE. In addition, STLE significantly inhibited the inflammatory and oxidative parameters (TBARS, NPSH, SOD, MPO activity, cell influx, and cytokines release).

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicate S. tuberculata extracts have cytotoxic potential more pronounced on tumor cell lines, as well as leaves extract shows a significant reduction in acute inflammation process, as already reported for Sida genus and specifically for this species.

Acupuncture and its effect on cytokine and chemokine profiles in seasonal allergic rhinitis: a preliminary three-armed, randomized, controlled trial

Purpose

Numerous studies have demonstrated effectiveness for acupuncture in the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR). However, the underlying mechanism remains still unclear.

Methods

29 SAR patients were recruited from a large randomized, controlled trial investigating the efficacy of acupuncture in SAR. 16 patients were treated by acupuncture plus rescue medication (RM, cetirizine), 6 patients received sham acupuncture plus RM and 8 patients RM alone over 8 weeks. Patients were blinded to the allocation to real or sham acupuncture. At baseline and different time-points during intervention, plasma and nasal concentration of mediators of various biological functions were determined in addition to validated disease-specific questionnaires.

Results

The concentration of biomarkers related to the Th1-, Th2-, and Treg-cluster was not changed in patients who received acupuncture, in neither plasma nor nasal fluid. However, with respect to eotaxin and some unspecific pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1b, IL-8, IP-10, MIP-1b, MCP-1), acupuncture led to a, partially significantly, lower nasal concentration than sham acupuncture or RM. Furthermore, the nasal symptom score was significantly reduced in patients only after real acupuncture.

Conclusion

In SAR, acupuncture reduces the intranasal unspecific inflammation, but does not seem to act immunologically on the Th1–Th2-imbalance.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00405-022-07335-5.

Identifying Dose Components of Manual Acupuncture to Determine the Dose-Response Relationship of Acupuncture Treatment: A Systematic Review

The dose-response relationship is a hallmark of pharmacological studies. However, this relationship has not been fully established in acupuncture research. This systematic review aims to provide the characteristics of the dose-response relationship in acupuncture research. We further summarized the differences in acupuncture effects according to dose components. Dose components of acupuncture were categorized into three groups: number of needles, stimulation intensity, and total number/frequency of treatments. The PubMed database was used to identify studies examining the effects of different doses of acupuncture from the establishment of the database to August 13, 2020. Dose components and responses were extracted from each study, and the results of low- and high-dose conditions were compared. Fourteen studies were included in this study. Of the included studies, 37.5% showed statistically significant enhanced responses to acupuncture treatment under high-dose conditions compared to low-dose conditions. Significant differences between high- and low-dose conditions were observed most frequently in studies that used various stimulation intensities (four out of six studies), followed in order by studies that used various numbers of needles (two out of seven studies), and those that used various numbers or frequencies of treatment (none of the three studies). Responses were categorized into symptom changes, physiological changes, experimentally induced pain/stimuli perception, and needling sensation. Stimulation intensity, which is considered one of the most important needling components, might indeed have a great impact on clinical responses to acupuncture.

The Anti-Inflammatory Actions and Mechanisms of Acupuncture from Acupoint to Target Organs via Neuro-Immune Regulation

Inflammation plays a significant role in the occurrence and development of multiple diseases. This study comprehensively reviews and presents literature from the last five years, showing that acupuncture indeed exerts strong anti-inflammatory effects in multiple biological systems, namely, the immune, digestive, respiratory, nervous, locomotory, circulatory, endocrine, and genitourinary systems. It is well known that localized acupuncture-mediated anti-inflammatory effects involve the regulation of multiple populations and functions of immune cells, including macrophages, granulocytes, mast cells, and T cells. In acupuncture stimulation, macrophages transform from the M1 to the M2 phenotype and the negative TLR4 regulator PPARγ is activated to inhibit the intracellular TLR/MyD88 and NOD signaling pathways. The downstream IκBα/NF-κB and P38 MAPK pathways are subsequently inhibited by acupuncture, followed by suppressed production of inflammasome and proinflammatory mediators. Acupuncture also modulates the balance of helper T cell populations. Furthermore, it inhibits oxidative stress by enhancing SOD activity via the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway and eliminates the generation of oxygen free radicals, thereby preventing inflammatory cell infiltration. The anti-inflammatory effects of acupuncture on different biological systems are also specific to individual organ microenvironments. As part of its anti-inflammatory action, acupuncture deforms connective tissue and upregulates the secretion of various molecules in acupoints, further activating the NF-κB, MAPK, and ERK pathways in mast cells, fibroblasts, keratinocytes, and monocytes/macrophages. The somatic afferents present in acupuncture-activated acupoints also convey sensory signals to the spinal cord, brainstem, and hypothalamic neurons. Upon information integration in the brain, acupuncture further stimulates multiple neuro-immune pathways, including the cholinergic anti-inflammatory, vagus-adrenal medulla-dopamine, and sympathetic pathways, as well as the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, ultimately acting immune cells via the release of crucial neurotransmitters and hormones. This review provides a scientific and reliable basis and viewpoints for the clinical application of acupuncture in various inflammatory conditions.

Acupuncture Ameliorates Neuronal Cell Death, Inflammation, and Ferroptosis and Downregulated miR-23a-3p After Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Rats

Baihui-penetrating-Qubin acupuncture is frequently used to treat intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in China. Acupuncture affects multiple microRNAs in diseases. MicroRNA-23a-3p (miR-23a-3p) has been demonstrated to be up-regulated in ICH patients. Herein, the effect of Baihui-penetrating-Qubin acupuncture on miR-23a-3p expression after ICH and the role of miR-23a-3p in ICH were discussed. A rat model of ICH was induced by infusing autologous blood into caudate nucleus. Acupuncture was performed after ICH once a day for 30 min. After 3 consecutive days of acupuncture, the neurobehavioral function, brain edema, neuronal cell death, inflammation, ferroptosis, nuclear factor E2-like 2 (NFE2L2) signaling and miR-23a-3p levels in brain tissues were analyzed. Additionally, antagomiR-23a-3p was injected into rats 3 days prior to ICH modeling to analyze the function of miR-23a-3p in neuronal cell death, inflammation, ferroptosis, and NFE2L2 signaling. Acupuncture relieved the ICH-induced neurological function deficits, increases in brain water content and Fluoro-Jade B (FJB)-positive cells and release of proinflammatory cytokines. Acupuncture also alleviated ferroptosis and decreased miR-23a-3p expression, as evidenced by the increased NFE2L2 nuclear translocation and expressions of heme oxygenase-1 and glutathione peroxidase 4 and the decreased iron and malondialdehyde contents and reactive oxygen species accumulation. Additionally, antagomiR-23a-3p inhibited the ICH-induced increases in FJB-positive cells, release of proinflammatory cytokines, ferroptosis, and promoted NFE2L2 activation. Notably, the binding site of miR-23a-3p existed in NFE2L2. Taken together, acupuncture may alleviate the neuronal cell death, inflammation, and ferroptosis after ICH by down-regulating miR-23a-3p. This study provides a potential mechanism underlying the Baihui-penetrating-Qubin acupuncture improving the early injury after ICH.

Electroacupuncture Relieves LPS-Induced Depression-Like Behaviour in Rats Through IDO-Mediated Tryptophan-Degrading Pathway

BACKGROUND

Neuroinflammation is an important pathological mechanism of depression that leads to an increase in indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) activity and NMDAR activation. This study aimed to observe the effects of electroacupuncture on depression-like behaviour in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated rats and the underlying mechanism.

METHODS

Wistar rats were intraperitoneally administered LPS (0.5 mg/kg) for 7 consecutive days to establish a depression model. Electroacupuncture treatment was administered 1 hour after daily LPS injection. The open field test (OFT), forced swimming test (FST), and sucrose preference test (SPT) were used to evaluate the depressive-like behaviours. IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); Trp, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), kynurenine (Kyn) and quinolinic acid (Quin) were detected by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry; and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) protein and mRNA were assessed by Western blot and real-time qPCR.

RESULTS

The results showed that electroacupuncture treatment successfully corrected LPS-induced depressive-like behaviour, reduced the inflammatory factor (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α) levels in the blood and hippocampus, prevented IDO over-activation and recovered NR2B expression after challenge by LPS.

CONCLUSION

Electroacupuncture treatment provided protection against LPS-induced depressive-like behaviour, and the associated mechanisms may be related to inhibiting the inflammatory response, regulating the IDO-mediated tryptophan-degrading pathway, and inhibiting NR2B activation.