The immunomodulatory mechanisms for acupuncture practice

Abstract

The system physiology approaches that emerge in western countries in recent years echo the holistic view of ancient Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practices that deal with the root, rather than only the symptoms of diseases. Particularly, TCM practices, including acupuncture, emphasize the mobilization of self-healing mechanisms to bring back body homeostasis. Acupuncture has been practiced for over two thousand years to modulate body physiology via stimulation at specific body regions (acupoints). With the development of various research on acupuncture therapy, its regulatory effect on the immune system has been gradually recognized, especially on immunological diseases, including infectious and allergic diseases. In this study, we reviewed the immunomodulatory mechanism of acupuncture and systematically integrates existing research to respectively elucidate the modulatory mechanisms of acupuncture on the innate immune system, adaptive immune system, and well-known neuroanatomical mechanisms, including intact somatosensory-autonomic reflex pathway. With the advances made in recent systems physiology studies, we now have a great opportunity to gain insight into how acupuncture modulates immunity, and subsequently improves its efficacy.

Efficacy and safety of Piwei Peiyuan Prescription in the treatment of chronic atrophic gastritis: A multicenter, double-blind, double-simulated, randomized, controlled clinical trial

“…The theory of holism emphasizes the unity, integrity, and mutual influence of organs and qi and blood in the human body, as well as the coordination and connection between humans and the natural environment. [ 16 ] The theory of syndrome differentiation and treatment is the way for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases in the domain of TCM. Specifically, syndrome differentiation refers to identification of the cause, nature, location, and relationship between pathogenic factors and healthy qi of the disease based on medical history, symptoms, and signs that are collected under the guidance of TCM theory to understand the essence of the disease.…”

Best acupuncture method for mammary gland hyperplasia: Evaluation of randomized controlled trials and Bayesian network meta-analysis

“…Modern anatomical studies have shown the following: (i) the site of MGH-induced pain is the anterior thoracic area, (ii) the somatic nerve centers that innervate the breast are C3–C4 and the cutaneous branch of the intercostal nerve, and (iii) the nerve that innervates GB21 originates from the same region. Therefore, stimulation of GB21 can reflexively promote the regulation of breast-related nerves through this pathway [ 88 ]. We found that PC6-KI3, PC6-GB21, and PC6-LR14 were the most used acupoints and that these combinations contained PC6.…”

Immunomodulatory hydrogels for skin wound healing: cellular targets and design strategy

“…The mechanical and thermal stimuli within acupoints produce electrical signals to transmit to the central nervous system regulating the descending immunomodulatory pathways. 195 For example, Tsai-Yu et al developed an ASC-loaded hydrogel based on glycol chitosan and difunctional polyurethane through Schiff base crosslinking that combined with acupuncture to promote diabetic wound healing. 186 The delivered ASCs recruited more endogenous ASCs into wound site via secreting SDF-1, and combination with acupuncture to decrease M1 and increase M2 macrophages for synergistically accelerating wound healing.…”

“…Acupuncture has been demonstrated to modulate macrophage polarization via regulating secretion of cytokines for inflammation resolution and macrophage recruitment to promote wound healing. 195,196…”