A Parametric Study on the Immunomodulatory Effects of Electroacupuncture in DNP-KLH Immunized Mice.

Sun Kwang Kim,Sun Mi Choi,Sungtae Koo,Min-Kyu Shin,Hyunjoo Cho,Byung-Il Min,Hyunsu Bae,Youngseop Lee,Moo-Chang Hong

doi:10.1093/ecam/nep166

Abstract

This study was conducted to compare the effects of low frequency electroacupuncture (EA) and high frequency EA at acupoint ST36 on the production of IgE and Th1/Th2 cytokines in BALB/c mice that had been immunized with 2,4-dinitrophenylated keyhole limpet protein (DNP-KLH), as well as to investigate the difference in the immunomodulatory effects exerted by EA stimulations at acupoint ST36 and at a non-acupoint (tail). Female BALB/c mice were divided into seven groups: normal (no treatments), IM (immunization only), ST36-PA (IM + plain acupuncture at ST36), ST36-LEA (IM + low frequency (1 Hz) EA at ST36), ST36-HEA (IM + high frequency (120 Hz) EA at ST36), NA-LEA (IM + low frequency (1 Hz) EA at non-acupoint) and NA-HEA (IM + high frequency (120 Hz) EA at non-acupoint). EA stimulation was performed daily for two weeks, and total IgE, DNP-KLH specific IgE, IL-4 and IFN-γ levels were measured at the end of the experiment. The results of this study showed that the IgE and IL-4 levels were significantly suppressed in the ST36-LEA and ST36-HEA groups, but not in the NA-LEA and NA-HEA groups. However, there was little difference in the immunomodulatory effects observed in the ST36-LEA and ST36-HEA groups. Taken together, these results suggest that EA stimulation-induced immunomodulation is not frequency dependent, but that it is acupoint specific.

Highlights

Acupuncture, which has been used for the treatment of various diseases in Eastern countries for thousands of years, is currently gaining acceptance as an alternative method of medicine in Western countries [1, 2]
This study was conducted to compare the effects of low frequency electroacupuncture (EA) and high frequency EA at acupoint ST36 on the production of IgE and Th1/Th2 cytokines in BALB/c mice that had been immunized with 2,4-dinitrophenylated keyhole limpet protein (DNP-KLH), as well as to investigate the difference in the immunomodulatory effects exerted by EA stimulations at acupoint ST36 and at a non-acupoint
High frequency EA at the non-acupoint did not affect the total IgE levels (P > .05, NA-HEA versus IM; P < .05, NA-HEA versus ST36-LEA or ST36-HEA), slightly reduced antigen-specific IgE levels similar to those observed in the ST36-PA and NA-LEA group were observed in the NA-HEA group (P > .05, NA-HEA versus IM, ST36LEA or ST36-HEA)

Summary

Introduction

Acupuncture, which has been used for the treatment of various diseases in Eastern countries for thousands of years, is currently gaining acceptance as an alternative method of medicine in Western countries [1, 2]. Acupuncture or EA stimulation accelerates the release of certain neurotransmitters, especially opioids, noradrenalin (NA) and serotonin (5-HT), in the Central Nervous System (CNS), which induces analgesia of acute and chronic pain [3,4,5,6]. Several studies have suggested that EA stimulation at different frequencies and acupoints produces differing degrees of analgesia [7,8,9]. EA treatment upregulated NK cell activity in non-immunized mice and rats, and such effect was blocked by pretreatment with an opioid receptor antagonist, naloxone and by lesion of the lateral hypothalamus, respectively [13, 14]. We showed that successive EA treatment reduced serum IgE levels in mice immunized with 2,4-dinitrophenylated

Methods

Results

Conclusion