Wu Xian-Ming, Zhang Ning, Fan Si-Li, Yang Xiao-Fang
College of Acupuncture-Tuina and Rehabilitation, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha 410208, China.
College of Acupuncture-moxibustion and Massage, Guizhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guiyang 550025.
Zhen Ci Yan Jiu. 2022 Jul 25;47(7):598-604. doi: 10.13702/j.1000-0607.20210637.
To observe the effect of mild moxibustion on blood lipid, histopathological structure of the aortic arch, thoracic aortic silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1)/nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway in atherosclerosis (AS) rabbits, so as to explore its underlying mechanisms in improving AS.
Sixty male rabbits were randomly divided into control group (=12), model group(=11), mild moxibustion group (=11), mild moxibustion + blocker (blocker) group (=12). The AS model was established by feeding the rabbits with high-fat forage for 8 weeks, followed by immune response damage. Mild moxibustion was applied to "Danzhong"(CV17), "Shenque"(CV8) and "Neiguan" (PC6, bilateral) and "Xuehai" (SP10, bilateral) for 30 min, once daily, 3 times a week for 4 weeks. Rabbits of the blocker group received intraperitoneal injection of EX527 (a selective inhibitor of SIRT1, 5 mg·kg·d) 30 min before moxibustion. Rabbits of the control and model groups were only grabbed and fixed without intervention. After the intervention, the contents of serum triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC) were determined by enzymatic method, and those of serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were determined by colorimetric method. The Sudan Ⅳ staining was employed to observe the histopathological structure of the aortic arch, and Western blot and fluorescence quantitative real time-PCR were used to detect the expressions of SIRT1 and NF-κB proteins and mRNAs in the thoracic aorta, respectively.
Compared with the control group, the contents of serum TG, TC and LDL-C and the expression levels of NF-κB protein and mRNA were significantly increased (<0.01, <0.05), whereas the content of HDL-C and the expression of SIRT1 mRNA markedly decreased in the model group (<0.01). After mild moxibustion, the contents of serum TG, TC, and LDL-C and the expression of NF-κB protein and mRNA were significantly down-regulated (<0.01, <0.05), while the content of HDL-C and the expression levels of SIRT1 protein and mRNA significantly up-regulated in the mild moxibustion group (<0.05, <0.01). There were no significant differences between the blocker and model groups in all the indexes (>0.05). Compared with the mild moxibustion group, the serum TG, TC, and LDL-C contents and NF-κB protein expression were significantly increased (<0.01, <0.05), and HDL-C content and the expression of SIRT1 protein and mRNA significantly decreased (<0.05, <0.01) in the blocker group. Sudan Ⅳ staining showed vague structure of the aortic arch with obvious lipid infiltration in the model group, which was relatively milder in the mild moxibustion.
Mild-moxibustion can reduce blood lipid levels and endothelial damage in atherosclerotic rabbits, which may be related to its function in regulating SIRT1/NF-κB signaling pathway.
观察温和灸对动脉粥样硬化（AS）家兔血脂、主动脉弓组织病理结构及胸主动脉沉默信息调节因子1（SIRT1）/核因子κB（NF-κB）信号通路的影响，以探讨其改善AS的潜在机制。
将60只雄性家兔随机分为对照组（n = 12）、模型组（n = 11）、温和灸组（n = 11）、温和灸+阻断剂组（n = 12）。采用高脂饲料喂养家兔8周并进行免疫损伤造模。温和灸“膻中”（CV17）、“神阙”（CV8）、双侧“内关”（PC6）和双侧“血海”（SP10）30分钟，每日1次，每周3次，共4周。阻断剂组家兔在灸疗前30分钟腹腔注射EX527（SIRT1选择性抑制剂，5 mg·kg·d）。对照组和模型组家兔仅抓取固定，不做干预。干预后，采用酶法测定血清甘油三酯（TG）和总胆固醇（TC）含量，比色法测定血清低密度脂蛋白胆固醇（LDL-C）和高密度脂蛋白胆固醇（HDL-C）含量。采用苏丹Ⅳ染色观察主动脉弓组织病理结构，蛋白质免疫印迹法和荧光定量实时PCR分别检测胸主动脉中SIRT1、NF-κB蛋白及mRNA表达。
与对照组比较，模型组血清TG、TC、LDL-C含量及NF-κB蛋白和mRNA表达水平显著升高（P<0.01，P<0.05），HDL-C含量及SIRT1 mRNA表达明显降低（P<0.01）。温和灸后，温和灸组血清TG、TC、LDL-C含量及NF-κB蛋白和mRNA表达显著下调（P<0.01，P<0.05），HDL-C含量及SIRT1蛋白和mRNA表达水平显著上调（P<0.05，P<0.01）。阻断剂组与模型组各项指标比较，差异均无统计学意义（P>0.05）。与温和灸组比较，阻断剂组血清TG、TC、LDL-C含量及NF-κB蛋白表达显著升高（P<0.01，P<0.05），HDL-C含量及SIRT1蛋白和mRNA表达明显降低（P<0.05，P<0.01）。苏丹Ⅳ染色显示，模型组主动脉弓结构模糊，脂质浸润明显，温和灸组相对较轻。
温和灸可降低AS家兔血脂水平，减轻血管内皮损伤，其机制可能与调节SIRT1/NF-κB信号通路有关。
