Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that can cause chronic inflammation of the joints and other areas of the body. Acupuncture is an emerging alternative therapy for rheumatoid arthritis; however, the molecular mechanism underlying the beneficial effect of acupuncture has not been elucidated.
The study aimed to determine the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on the expression of nuclear factor kappa Β (NF-κΒ) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) in model rats and to elucidate its anti-inflammatory mechanism in rheumatoid arthritis.
The research team conducted a randomized animal study evaluating the efficacies of acupuncture on rheumatoid arthritis. Setting • All processes for the study were conducted at the Hubei University of Chinese Medicine and the Tongji Medical College of the Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Intervention • Twenty rats were randomly selected from 80 male Wistar rats and designated as the normal control (NC) group. The remaining 60 rats were prepared as rheumatoid arthritis models by administering intradermal injections of bovine, type 2 collagen emulsified in incomplete Freund's adjuvant for 3 wk. The 60 rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: (1) a rheumatoid arthritis model (model group); (2) a real-acupuncture-plus model (RA group); and (3) a sham-acupuncture-plus model (SA group), with 20 rats randomly assigned to each group. Zusanli (ST-36), Xuanzhong (GB-39), and Shenshu (BL-23) were applied for treatment of the RA group, whereas sham acupoints were selected for the SA group.
The study used ultrastructural observations, an arthritis index, the expression levels of TNF-α and NF-κΒ (p65) in synovial cells, and the content of serum inflammatory cytokines to measure results.
The arthritis index, the expression levels of NF-κΒ (p65) and TNF-α in synovial tissues, and the contents of interleukin (IL) 1-β (IL-1β), IL-6, and IL-8 increased for the 3 model groups compared with measurements for the NC group (P < .01). Those parameters were lower for the RA group than for the model group (P < .05). However, no statistically significant difference was observed between the model and SA groups.
Acupuncture mediates the anti-inflammatory NF-kB pathway to reduce disease severity in collagen-induced arthritis.