Influence of acupuncture on IL-1beta and TNF-alpha expression in the cartilage of rats with knee osteoarthritis.
- Author:
Dao-hai WANG
1
;
Fei BAO
;
Zhi-hong WU
;
Hua SUN
;
Yun-xiang ZHANG
Author Information
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- MeSH: Acupuncture Therapy; Animals; Cartilage; metabolism; Female; Interleukin-1beta; metabolism; Osteoarthritis, Knee; metabolism; therapy; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; metabolism
- From: China Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology 2011;24(9):775-778
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVETo explore the influence of acupuncture treatment on proinflammatory cytokines of osteoarthritic (OA) cartilage.
METHODSForty female SD rats were randomly and averagely divided into four groups: the normal, model, acupuncture and control group. The method of heel tendon resection for unilateral hind limb was used to establish OA animal models-that was to cut off the rat's heel tendon of left hind limb. The acupuncture group and control group were respectively treated by electro-acupuncture and Diclofenac on right hind limb of each animal for 2 weeks. Immunohistochemical staining was used to observe the expression characteristic of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha in cartilage of each group,and the differences were compared among the groups.
RESULTSBoth IL-1beta and TNF-alpha expression in model group were significantly up-regulated than those in the normal group (P<0.01). Their expression in model, acupuncture and control group were significantly different (P< 0.01). IL-1beta and TNF-alpha expression were significantly down-regulated in acupuncture and control group than that in model group (P<0.01), while the difference between the two former groups was not significant (P>0.05).
CONCLUSIONAcupuncture can down-regulate the expression of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha in osteoarthritic chondrocytes, and the regulating effect is the same as Diclofenac. This shows that acupuncture has a certain protective effect on osteoarthritic cartilage.
