The Anti-Inflammatory Actions and Mechanisms of Acupuncture from Acupoint to Target Organs via Neuro-Immune Regulation

作者：Ningcen Li, Yi Guo, Yinan Gong, Yue Zhang, Wen Fan, Kaifang Yao, Zhihan Chen, Baomin Dou, Xiaowei Lin, Bo Chen, Zelin Chen, Zhifang Xu, Zhongxi Lyu · 发表于：Journal of Inflammation Research · 年份：2021 · DOI：10.2147/jir.s341581 · 被引用次数：243 · 研究领域：Acupuncture Treatment Research Studies、Vagus Nerve Stimulation Research、Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments

Inflammation plays a significant role in the occurrence and development of multiple diseases. This study comprehensively reviews and presents literature from the last five years, showing that acupuncture indeed exerts strong anti-inflammatory effects in multiple biological systems, namely, the immune, digestive, respiratory, nervous, locomotory, circulatory, endocrine, and genitourinary systems. It is well known that localized acupuncture-mediated anti-inflammatory effects involve the regulation of multiple populations and functions of immune cells, including macrophages, granulocytes, mast cells, and T cells. In acupuncture stimulation, macrophages transform from the M1 to the M2 phenotype and the negative TLR4 regulator PPARγ is activated to inhibit the intracellular TLR/MyD88 and NOD signaling pathways. The downstream IκBα/NF-κB and P38 MAPK pathways are subsequently inhibited by acupuncture, followed by suppressed production of inflammasome and proinflammatory mediators. Acupuncture also modulates the balance of helper T cell populations. Furthermore, it inhibits oxidative stress by enhancing SOD activity via the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway and eliminates the generation of oxygen free radicals, thereby preventing inflammatory cell infiltration. The anti-inflammatory effects of acupuncture on different biological systems are also specific to individual organ microenvironments. As part of its anti-inflammatory action, acupuncture deforms connective tissue and upregulates the secretio...