OBJECTIVETo explore the underlying mechanism of the simple acupoint catgut emhedding on the treatment of the asthma in rats.

METHODSThirty two Wistar rats with asthma were estahlished hy ovalhumin (OVA), and randomly divided into four groups: the simple acupoint catgut emhedding group (A), Dexamethasone group (B), model group (C), control group (D), 8 cases in each group. In group A, emhed thread was carried out on the first experimental day, "Feishu (BL 13)" "Danzhong (CV 17)" "Shenshu (BL 23)" were selected. In the group B and the group C, 1.5 mg/kg Dexamethasone and 20 mg/kg sterile water were intraperitoneal injected respectively from the 15th experimental day, once a day for 2 weeks consistently. There was no treatment in the group D. For the four groups, asthmatic attack was ohserved, the cells in hronchoalveolar lavage fluid were counted and classified, the pathologic change of lung tissue was examined, the level of ICAM-1 and NF-kappaB in hronchioles was detected with immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS(1) In the group A, the symptom of asthmatic attack was alleviated and the infiltration of inflammatory cells around the hronchi were remarkahly decreased. In the group C, the total amount of cells in hronchoalveolar lavage fluid and other inflammatory cells were ohviously higher than those of group A. On the other hand, inflammatory effusion in airway and infiltration of inflammatory cells in airway wall in the group A were lower than those of group C. (2) The expression of ICAM-1 and NP-kappaB in lung tissue of group C was higher than those of group D (P < 0.01). (3) The expression of ICAM-1 and NF-kappaB in lung tissue of group B and group A was ohviously lower than those of group C (P < 0.05, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe simple acupoint catgut emhedding can inhahit the expression of ICAM-1 and NP-kappaB and alleviate airway inflammation in the asthmatic rats.