A Review on the Immunomodulatory Mechanism of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disease with a high prevalence and canceration rate. The immune disorder is one of the recognized mechanisms. Acupuncture is widely used to treat patients with IBD. In recent years, an increasing number of studies have proven the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of IBD, and some progress has been made in the mechanism. In this paper, we reviewed the studies related to acupuncture for IBD and focused on the immunomodulatory mechanism. We found that acupuncture could regulate the innate and adaptive immunity of IBD patients in many ways. Acupuncture exerts innate immunomodulatory effects by regulating intestinal epithelial barrier, toll-like receptors, NLRP3 inflammasomes, oxidative stress, and endoplasmic reticulum stress and exerts adaptive immunomodulation by regulating the balance of Th17/Treg and Th1/Th2 cells. In addition, acupuncture can also regulate intestinal flora.

Research Progress on the Mechanism of Acupuncture Treatment for Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

“…Therefore, it is very important to assess whether acupuncture can alleviate NAFLD by mediating autophagy and apoptosis through related pathways. In addition, new evidence also suggests that NAFLD is closely related to intestinal flora, and acupuncture has been proved to be involved in the treatment of various diseases, including nervous system diseases, endocrine diseases, and digestive system diseases, by regulating intestinal flora [51][52][53]. The correlation between acupuncture and intestinal flora is also worth exploring.…”

Acupuncture and moxibustion therapy for cognitive impairment: the microbiome–gut–brain axis and its role

“…However, when the body is stimulated, initial CD4+ T cells substantially differentiate into Th17 immune cells and disrupt the balance, which may lead to abnormal immune responses and intestinal inflammation. Studies showed that EA at Tianshu (ST25) and Zusanli (ST36) has the ability to restore the normal ratio of Treg and Th17 cells in spleen lymphocytes of UC mice ( Sun et al, 2017 ), which helps to improve intestinal inflammatory response ( Liu Z. et al, 2022 ). Furthermore, EA could also relieve intestinal mucosal inflammation and autoimmune diseases by regulating marker transcription factors of immune cells such as RORyt and Foxp, as well as their metabolic pathways ( Liu Z. et al, 2022 ).…”

“…Studies also showed that EA at ST36, ST37, ST39, and other acupoints could attenuate inflammation by inhibiting the activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO), which is produced by granulocytes and can activate neutrophils ( Yang et al, 2020 ). Wu et al demonstrated that acupuncture therapy could suppress oxidative stress in UC rats by regulating related markers such as SOD, CAT, and MDA, which are involved in the pathogenesis and progression of IBD ( Liu Z. et al, 2022 ).…”

Research progress on the immunomodulatory mechanism of acupuncture in tumor immune microenvironment

“…It decreased serum antibodies and nitric oxide and also affected the levels of inflammatory signaling molecules (such as ERK, NF-κB, AP-1, p38, etc.) ( 69 ). This modulation of T cell subsets and their associated inflammatory response factors was considered an important cellular immune mechanism for acupuncture in the treatment of allergic diseases and nonspecific inflammatory diseases ( 70 – 73 ).…”