Abstract
Objectives. To compare the effects of moxibustion at two different temperatures (38°C and 46°C) on the blood cholesterol level in a mice model of acute hyperlipidemia, to detect the different expression levels of transient receptor potential vanilloid subfamily 1 (TRPV1) in the dorsal root ganglions of the wild mice, and to explore the correlation between TRPV1 and moxibustion's cholesterol-lowering effects. Method. Two different mice models were used: C57BL/6J wild type (WT) and TRPV1 gene knockout (TRPV1−/−). Each model was randomly divided into control group and model group with three subgroups after acute hyperlipidemia was established: model control group, 38°C moxibustion group, and 46°C moxibustion group. The mice in 38°C group and 46°C group were subject to moxibustion. After the therapy, the cholesterol concentration in serum was measured, and the expression of TRPV1 was quantified. Results. In WT mice, moxibustion caused a decrease in blood cholesterol level and upregulation of TRPV1 at the mRNA level, which was significantly greater in the 46°C group. In contrast, in TRPV1−/− mice, the differences of cholesterol-lowering effects of moxibustion were lost. Conclusions. Temperature is one of the important factors affecting the effects of moxibustion, and the cholesterol -lowering effect of moxibustion is related to the activation of TRPV1.
Highlights
Moxibustion is a unique therapeutic method in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which has long been used to treat human diseases through stimulating certain regions or sites of lesion on the body surface by applying heat with ignited moxa wool
Compared with the mice in the control group, the mice in the model control group showed significantly increased serum cholesterol level (P < 0.01), indicating that the model of acute hyperlipidemia was successfully established
In contrast to the mice in the model control group, mice subjected to moxibustion at 38∘C and at 46∘C both demonstrated decreased serum cholesterol levels; only the difference between the model control group and 46∘C moxibustion group reached statistical significance (P < 0.001)
Summary
Moxibustion is a unique therapeutic method in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which has long been used to treat human diseases through stimulating certain regions or sites of lesion on the body surface by applying heat with ignited moxa wool. Investigators analyzed the biophysical features of moxibustion and pointed out that the thermal effect or temperature is one of the important determinants of the therapeutic efficacy of moxibustion [1]. Thermal stimulus is an important factor for the therapeutic effects of moxibustion. Thermal stimulation mainly changes the temperature of the skin around the acupuncture points on the body surface to induce effects. Some ion channels can be directly activated by changes of body and skin temperature, as represented by transient receptor potential (TRP), a class of diverse ion channels that play significant roles in regulating a wide spectrum of cellular processes [2]. TRPV1, the most extensively studied TRPV, has been believed to play a key role
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