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Electro-Acupuncture at Zusanli Acupoint (ST36) Suppresses Inflammation in Allergic Contact Dermatitis Via Triggering Local IL-10 Production and Inhibiting p38 MAPK Activation

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Abstract

Acupuncture has shown beneficial effect in the treatment of multiple dermatologic conditions including dermatitis, pruritus, urticaria, and hyperhidrosis; however, the detailed mechanisms are still kept unclear. This study aimed to investigate if electro-acupuncture (EA) treatment prevents 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB)-induced allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) in rats and explore its underlying mechanisms. ACD was induced by sensitizing and challenging with DNFB topically. Rats were treated daily following bilateral subcutaneous stimulation of EA at Zusanli acupoint (ST36) for 1 week. Ear swelling and serum IgE levels were measured. The ear biopsies were obtained for histology. Inflammatory cytokines on the dermatological ear and local acupoint tissue were assayed. Spleen lymphocytes and the homogenized supernatant of local acupuncture area were used to co-culture for flow cytology and immune analysis, respectively. EA treatment at ST36 notably inhibited ear swelling and inflammatory cell infiltration on DNFB-induced ACD. EA also decreased serum IgE concentrations and alleviated the production of inflammatory cytokines in dermatological ear. Additionally, EA treatment attenuated the percentage of CD4+IFN-γ+ and CD4+IL-4+ T cells associated with ACD. Interestingly, secretion of interleukin (IL)-10 in the local acupoint tissue following EA stimulation was increased and showed suppressive function when co-cultured with the spleen lymphocytes from DNFB group. Lastly, EA treatment demonstrably suppressed p38 MAPK activation in DNFB-treated rats. Our findings suggest that EA treatment at ST36 may ameliorate inflammation associated with DNFB-induced ACD via triggering local IL-10 production and inhibiting p38 MAPK activation, which provide an alternative and promising therapy for ACD.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the grants from Specialized Fund of Hubei Provincial Department of Education in Hubei Provincial Collaborative Innovation Center of Preventive Treatment by Acupuncture and Moxibustion (No. HBPCIC-2016-004).

Author’s Contribution

Z.G.W., N.N.Y., and Z.B.C. designed the study, Z.G.W. and T.Y. finished experiments and wrote the manuscript. M.L., Y.S.G., and C.H.C performed partial research. C.W.H. and Q.W. analyzed the data. Z.B.C. helped revise the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathogen Biology, College of Basic Medicine, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, 430065, China

    Zhigang Wang & Qian Wang

  2. College of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, 430065, China

    Tao Yi

  3. College of Basic Medicine, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, 430065, China

    Man Long, Yisen Gao, Chunhao Cao & Chenwei Huang

  4. Department of Anatomy, College of Basic Medicine, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, 1 Huangjiahu West Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan, Hubei, 430065, China

    Nina Yin

  5. Hubei Provincial Collaborative Innovation Center of Preventive Treatment by Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, 1 Huangjiahu West Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan, Hubei, 430065, China

    Nina Yin & Zebin Chen

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  1. Zhigang Wang
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  2. Tao Yi
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Correspondence to Nina Yin or Zebin Chen.

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All experiments were approved by the Animal Care and Use Committee of Hubei University of Chinese Medicine (No. SYXK2012-0067) and performed according to the international ethical guidelines and National Institutes of Health Guide concerning the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.

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Wang, Z., Yi, T., Long, M. et al. Electro-Acupuncture at Zusanli Acupoint (ST36) Suppresses Inflammation in Allergic Contact Dermatitis Via Triggering Local IL-10 Production and Inhibiting p38 MAPK Activation. Inflammation 40, 1351–1364 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10753-017-0578-5

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