To observe the effect of moxibustion on Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-κB (TLR 4/NF-κB) signaling in the synovial tissue of the ankle joint in rats with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), so as to analyze its biological mechanism underlying improvement of RA.
Fifty male SD rats were randomly divided into normal control, model, moxibustion, moxibustion ＋ TLR 4 agonist, and moxibustion ＋ TLR 4 antagonist groups (
Following modeling, the girth of the swollen ankle joint was obviously bigger (
Moxibustion can reduce the ankle joint swelling in RA rats, which may be closely associated with its effect in down-regulating the expression of IκBɑ， IκKβ， TLR 4, MyD 88, and NF-κB p 65 proteins and in inhibiting TLR 4/NF-κB signaling in the synovial tissue of the ankle joint.