[Electroacupuncture inhibits inflammatory response through hexokinase 2 - mediated Warburg effect in rats with acute...

To observe whether electroacupuncture (EA) can inhibit the inflammatory response via down-regulating hexokinase 2 (HK2) mediated Warburg effect in rats with acute lung injury (ALI).

Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control, model and EA groups, with 12 rats in each group. The ALI model was established by injection of lipopolysaccharides (LPS, 5 mg/mL, 1 mL/kg) into the tail vein. The rats in the control group received intravenous injection of the same volume of 0.9% NaCl solution. Immediately after the modeling was completed, EA (3 Hz/15 Hz, 1 mA) was applied to bilateral "Zusanli" (ST36) and "Chize" (LU5) for 30 min, once a day for 5 consecutive days. The contents of serum interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) were measured by using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the wet/dry weight ratio (W/D) of the lung tissue was calculated to assess the severity of pulmonary edema. Histopathological changes of the lung tissue (inflammatory damage, damage score) were observed and calculated after hematoxylin and eosin (H.E.) staining. The qRT-PCR and Western blot were used to detect the expression of HK2 mRNA and protein, respectively. The lactate kit was used to detect the lactate content of the lung tissue.

Compared with the control group, the serum IL-1β content, lung damage score, ratio of W/D of the lung tissue, expression levels of HK2 mRNA and protein and the lactate content were significantly increased (P<0.01), while the serum TGF-β content was significantly decreased (P<0.01) in the model group. In comparison with the model group, the serum IL-1β content, pathological score, HK2 mRNA expression level, and lactic acid content were significantly decreased (P<0.01), and the TGF-β content was significantly increased (P<0.01) in the EA group. H.E. stain showed obvious congestion and hemorrhage of the lung tissue, disappearance of the alveolar structure with thickened alveolar wall, and a large number of inflammatory cells infiltration in the model group, which was relatively milder in the EA group, including milder pulmonary tissue congestion, partial alveolar fusion, and fewer inflammatory cells gathered in the alveolar septum, etc.

EA can reduce the inflammatory response and pulmonary edema of ALI in rats, which may be related to its functions in down-regulating the content of serum IL-1β, and lung HK2 mRNA expression and lactic acid content and in up-regulating serum TGF-β (anti-inflammatory factor) level and HK2-mediated Warburg effect.