Hao Feng, Wu Li-Bin, Hu Jun, Liu Lei, Wu Zi-Jian, Cai Rong-Lin, Hu Ling, Yang Xiao-Cun, Wang Jie, Yu Qing, He Lu
College of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu Province, China.
College of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine.
Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2020 Nov 12;40(11):1211-6. doi: 10.13703/j.0255-2930.20200112-k0003.
To observe the effect of moxibustion on phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin protein (PI3K/Akt/mTOR) signaling pathway in the foot-pad synovial tissue in rats with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to explore the mechanism of moxibustion for treating RA.
Forty healthy SD rats were randomly divided into a control group, a model group, a moxibustion group, a cigarette-moxibustion group and a medication group, 8 rats in each group. The RA model was established with subcutaneous injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) in the left hind foot-pad under wind, cold and wet environment in the model group, the moxibustion group, the cigarette-moxibustion group and the medication group. The rats in the moxibustion group were treated with moxibustion at "Zusanli" (ST 36) for 20 min; the rats in the cigarette-moxibustion group were treated with moxibustion of ordinary cigarette at "Zusanli" (ST 36) for 20 min; the rats in the medication group were treated with tripterygium glycosides suspension (0.8 mg/100 g) by gavage. All the intervention was given once a day for 15 days. The left hind foot-pad volume was measured before and after modeling and after 15-day intervention. After 15-day intervention, the serum levels of IL-17 and IL-23 were detected by ELISA method, and the expression levels of PI3K, Akt and mTOR in synovial tissue of left hind foot-pad were detected by Western blot method.
The volume of left hind foot-pad, the serum levels of IL-23 and IL-17 and the expression of PI3K, Akt and mTOR in synovial tissue of left hind foot-pad in the model group were higher than those in the control group (<0.01). After intervention, the volume of left hind foot-pad and the expression of PI3K, Akt and mTOR protein in synovium tissue in the moxibustion group and medication group were lower than those in the model group (<0.01, <0.05), while the serum levels of IL-17 and IL-23 in the moxibustion group were lower than those in the model group (<0.01). The volume of left hind foot-pad, the serum levels of IL-23 and the expression of mTOR protein in synovial tissue in the moxibustion group were lower than those in the medication group (<0.01, <0.05), while the volume of left hind foot-pad, the serum levels of IL-23 and the expression of PI3K, Akt and mTOR protein in synovium tissue in the moxibustion group were lower than those in the cigarette-moxibustion group (<0.01).
Moxibustion may play a therapeutic effect on RA by inhibiting the level of IL-23, IL-17 and the activity PI3K/Akt/mTOR, and regulating inflammatory response and autophagy.
观察艾灸对类风湿关节炎（RA）大鼠足垫滑膜组织中磷脂酰肌醇3激酶/蛋白激酶B/哺乳动物雷帕霉素靶蛋白（PI3K/Akt/mTOR）信号通路的影响，探讨艾灸治疗RA的作用机制。
将40只健康SD大鼠随机分为对照组、模型组、艾灸组、香烟灸组和药物组，每组8只。模型组、艾灸组、香烟灸组和药物组在风寒湿环境下于左后足垫皮下注射完全弗氏佐剂（CFA）建立RA模型。艾灸组大鼠于“足三里”（ST 36）穴艾灸20分钟；香烟灸组大鼠于“足三里”（ST 36）穴用普通香烟灸20分钟；药物组大鼠灌胃给予雷公藤多苷混悬液（0.8mg/100g）。所有干预均每日1次，共15天。分别于造模前、造模后及干预15天后测量左后足垫体积。干预15天后，采用ELISA法检测血清IL-17、IL-23水平，采用Western blot法检测左后足垫滑膜组织中PI3K、Akt及mTOR的表达水平。
模型组左后足垫体积、血清IL-23、IL-17水平及左后足垫滑膜组织中PI3K、Akt、mTOR表达均高于对照组（P<0.01）。干预后，艾灸组和药物组左后足垫体积及滑膜组织中PI3K、Akt、mTOR蛋白表达低于模型组（P<0.01，P<0.05），艾灸组血清IL-17、IL-23水平低于模型组（P<0.01）。艾灸组左后足垫体积、血清IL-23水平及滑膜组织中mTOR蛋白表达低于药物组（P<0.01，P<0.05），艾灸组左后足垫体积、血清IL-23水平及滑膜组织中PI3K、Akt、mTOR蛋白表达低于香烟灸组（P<0.01）。
艾灸可能通过抑制IL-23、IL-17水平及PI3K/Akt/mTOR活性，调节炎症反应和自噬，从而发挥对RA的治疗作用。
