Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 9, 2025
Acupuncture in a Rat Model of Asthma
Published on: August 25, 2020
Acupoint Autohemotherapy Alleviates Airway Inflammation in Asthmatic Rats via Upregulating Expression of
Hao-Lei Liu1, Tao Wu1, Xiang Zeng1
1Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Traditional Chinese Medicine College, Zhuzhou, China.
Importance:
Acupoint autohemotherapy (AA), a therapeutic technique involving the subcutaneous injection of autologous blood into acupoints, has been empirically validated as safe and effective for treating asthma by alleviating symptoms and decreasing acute attacks, though its mechanism is not well understood.
Objective:
The role of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in AA-induced suppression of asthmatic airway inflammation is examined.
Methods:
Twenty rats were assigned randomly to four groups, namely the Control, OVA, OVA + AA, and (OVA + Snpp) + AA. Rats in the OVA + AA and (OVA + Snpp) + AA received autologous blood injections into acupoints (BL13 and BL23) following OVA challenge. Rats in the (OVA + Snpp) + AA were concurrently subjected to intraperitoneal injections of Snpp, a inhibitor of HO-1. Airway inflammation was evaluated through HE staining, while the concentrations of cytokines in BALF were quantified using ELISA. The mRNA and protein levels of RORγt (Th17-specific transcription factor), Foxp3 (Treg-specific transcription factor), and HO-1 in lung tissue were assessed through qRT-PCR and WB.
Results:
HE staining indicated that airway inflammation was alleviated in the OVA + AA. The OVA + AA displayed significantly lower counts of total cells and eosinophils in the BALF compared to both the OVA and (OVA + Snpp) + AA. The ELISA demonstrated a significant decrease in levels of pro-inflamatory cytokines (IL-4, IL-17A), and an increase in levels of anti-inflamatory cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-10), in the OVA + AA when compared to both OVA and (OVA + Snpp) + AA. The qRT-PCR and WB analyses revealed an upregulation of HO-1 and Foxp3 expression, and a downregulation of RORγt expression, in the OVA + AA when compared to OVA and (OVA + Snpp) + AA.
Conclusions And Relevance:
The involvement of HO-1 in the underlying mechanism responsible for the anti-inflammatory effects of AA is evident.
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