Zhang Zhi-Yun, Wan Hong-Ye, Su Yang-Shuai, He Wei, Jing Xiang-Hong
Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China.
Zhen Ci Yan Jiu. 2024;49(9):972-978. doi: 10.13702/j.1000-0607.20230506.
A large number of studies have confirmed the anti-inflammatory effects of acupuncture, and some of the mechanisms and pathways regulating inflammatory response have been revealed. However, most of these researches focused on the effect of acupuncture on systemic anti-inflammation, and there is no consensus about the effect characteristics of different acupoints on regulating inflammatory response. It is noteworthy that increasing attention and exploration have been paid to the neuro-immune interactions and regulation of immune-inflammatory homeostasis. Importantly, the understanding of local neuroimmune regulation of non-immune organs has been deepening, which was known as the regional immunity. This new concept lays a scientific foundation for elucidating the characteristics of acupoints on the inflammation, especially the modulation of target visceral organs by the relevant acupoint stimulation. In this paper, the local effects (e.g. activating regional nerve components to induce local neuroimmuno-inflammatory regulation, etc), target visceral organ effects (e.g. regulating activities of visceral resident immune cells to initiate regional immunity regulation mediated by locally resident lymphocytes to promote inflammatory response degradation and to restore the homeostasis of regional immunity in the internal organs, via somato-visceral neuro-segmental connection, etc.) and systemic anti-inflammatory effects (e.g. regulating cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, including activating the vagus nerve to exert systemic anti-inflammatory effects through neuroimmune regulatory network, etc.) of acupoint stimulation were analyzed from different levels of neuroimmunological regulation, so as to provide new insights for clarifying the role of acupoints in improving inflammatory diseases.
大量研究证实了针刺的抗炎作用，并且已经揭示了一些调节炎症反应的机制和途径。然而，这些研究大多集中在针刺对全身抗炎的作用上，对于不同穴位调节炎症反应的效应特点尚无共识。值得注意的是，神经-免疫相互作用以及免疫-炎症稳态的调节受到了越来越多的关注和探索。重要的是，对非免疫器官局部神经免疫调节的认识在不断深化，这被称为局部免疫。这一新概念为阐明穴位对炎症的作用特点，尤其是相关穴位刺激对靶内脏器官的调节作用奠定了科学基础。本文从神经免疫调节的不同层面分析了穴位刺激的局部效应（如激活局部神经成分以诱导局部神经免疫炎症调节等）、靶内脏器官效应（如通过体-内脏神经节段联系等调节内脏固有免疫细胞活性，启动由局部驻留淋巴细胞介导的局部免疫调节，促进炎症反应降解并恢复内脏局部免疫稳态等）和全身抗炎效应（如调节胆碱能抗炎途径，包括激活迷走神经通过神经免疫调节网络发挥全身抗炎作用等），以期为阐明穴位在改善炎症性疾病中的作用提供新的见解。
