[Effect of Warm Acupuncture on the Levels of Serum Immunoglobulin E, Interleukin-1 β and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α in Rats with Allergic Rhinitis]

Objective: To observe the effect of warm acupuncture on behavior and contents of serum immunoglobulin E(IgE), interleukin-1 β(IL-1 β) and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) in allergic rhinitis(AR) rats, so as to explore its mechanism underlying improving AR.

Methods: Forty Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: control group, model group, medication group and warm acupuncture group(10 rats/group). The AR model was established by intraperitoneal injection of sensitization and nasal drip. The rats in the medication group were given fluticasone propionate nasal spray, daily for 10 days. Warm acupuncture was applied to "Fengchi"(GB 20), "Yintang"(GV 29), "Yingxiang"(LI 20) for 60 seconds, once daily for 10 days. Behavioral scores were used to evaluate behavioral changes in rats. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the expression levels of serum IgE, IL-1 β and TNF-α.

Results: Behavioral scores of the model group were significantly higher than those of the control group 0, 3, 7 and 10 days after modeling (<0.05). After treatment, the behavioral scores of medication group and the warm acupuncture group were lower than those of the model group (<0.05), and the score was more lower in the warm acupuncture group than in the medication group (<0.05). Compared with the control group, the levels of serum IgE, IL-1 β and TNF-α in the model group were all increased (<0.01), while the levels of serum IgE, IL-1 β and TNF-α were decreased in the medication and warm acupuncture groups after treatment in comparison with the model group (<0.05, <0.01). Compared with the medication group, the levels of serum IgE, IL-1 β and TNF-α were significantly lower in the warm acupuncture group (<0.05, <0.01).

Conclusion: The expression levels of IgE, IL-1 β and TNF-α were elevated in serum after AR attack. Warm acupuncture can improve the symptoms of AR rats, which may be associated to its effect in inhibiting the expression of serum IgE, IL-1 β and TNF-α.