Graduate Institute of Chinese Medicine, School of Chinese Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Departments of Urology, Obstetrics and Gynecology and Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
PLoS One. 2019 Mar 18;14(3):e0211341. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0211341. eCollection 2019.
Articular cartilage damage related to irreversible physical disability affects most patients with chronic rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Strategies targeting the preservation of cartilage function are needed. Laser acupuncture (LA) can be an emerging alternative therapy for RA; however, its molecular mechanism underlying the beneficial effect on cartilage has not been elucidated. This study aimed to examine the potential chondroprotective effects of LA on extracellular matrix (ECM) macromolecules and proinflammatory cytokines in the articular cartilage of adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) rats and explore its related mechanisms.
Monoarthritis was induced in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (250-300 g) via intraarticular injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) into the tibiotarsal joint. Animals were treated with LA at BL60 and KI3 acupoints three days after CFA administration with a 780 nm GaAlAs laser at 15 J/cm2 daily for ten days. The main outcome measures including paw circumference, paw withdrawal threshold, histopathology and immunoassays of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), collagen type II (CoII), cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) were analyzed.
LA significantly reduced ankle edema and inflammation-induced hyperalgesia in AIA rats (P < 0.05). Moreover, the TNF-α levels were significantly decreased while CoII, COMP and proteoglycans proteins were significantly enhanced following LA stimulation of the AIA cartilage compared to those treated with sham-LA (P < 0.05).
LA attenuates cartilage degradation in AIA rat by suppressing TNF-α activation and up-regulating ECM macromolecules, suggesting LA might be of potential clinical interest in RA treatment.
与不可逆性身体残疾相关的关节软骨损伤影响大多数慢性类风湿关节炎（RA）患者。需要针对保留软骨功能的策略。激光针灸（LA）可能是 RA 的一种新兴替代疗法；然而，其对软骨有益作用的分子机制尚未阐明。本研究旨在探讨 LA 对佐剂诱导关节炎（AIA）大鼠关节软骨细胞外基质（ECM）大分子和促炎细胞因子的潜在软骨保护作用，并探讨其相关机制。
通过向跖跗关节内注射完全弗氏佐剂（CFA）在成年雄性 Sprague-Dawley 大鼠（250-300g）中诱导单关节炎。在 CFA 给药后三天，用 780nmGaAlAs 激光以 15J/cm2 的剂量每天照射 BL60 和 KI3 穴位，对动物进行 LA 治疗，共 10 天。主要观察指标包括爪围、爪回缩阈值、肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α）、胶原 II（CoII）、软骨寡聚基质蛋白（COMP）的组织病理学和免疫测定。
LA 显著减轻 AIA 大鼠的踝关节肿胀和炎症诱导的痛觉过敏（P<0.05）。此外，与 sham-LA 治疗相比，LA 刺激 AIA 软骨后 TNF-α水平显著降低，而 CoII、COMP 和糖胺聚糖蛋白显著增强（P<0.05）。
LA 通过抑制 TNF-α激活和上调 ECM 大分子来减轻 AIA 大鼠的软骨降解，表明 LA 在 RA 治疗中可能具有潜在的临床意义。
