Objective To observe the effect of heat needle treatment on the inflammatory reaction in the damaged tissues of rats with the third lumbar transverse process syndrome. Methods Ninety Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 6 groups, namely normal group, model group, drug group, heat needle group, conventional acupuncture group and warming acup-moxibustion group, 15 rats in each group. The rat model of the third lumbar syndrome was established by embedding gelatin sponge. Two weeks later, the rats in various groups were given corresponding treatment respectively. Before treatment and on the 7th, 14th and 28th day of treatment, the blood samples were collected from jugular vein, and then the serum inflammatory cytokines of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). On the 28th day of treatment, all of the rats were sacrificed, the expression levels of TNF-α, IL-1βand IL-6 mRNA in the muscle tissue were detected by reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and the pathological changes in local muscle tissue were observed by HE staining method. Results The serum contents of the inflammatory cytokines of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 in the model group and treatment groups after modeling were significantly higher than those in the normal group (P < 0.05). After treatment, the contents of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 in various treatment groups were decreased significantly as compared with those in the model group, and the decrease was most obvious in the heat needle group. The expression levels of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 mRNA in muscle tissues of drug group, heat needle group, conventional acupuncture group and warming acup-moxibustion group were lower than those of the model group (P < 0.05), and the heat needle group had the lowest levels. HE staining results showed that heat needle group had milder inflammatory reaction and better muscle fiber structure than the model group. Conclusion Heat needle treatment can improve the local inflammatory response and promote the repair of tissue damage through decreasing the expression levels of inflammatory cytokines of TNF-α, IL-1βand IL-6.

Objective:To observe any effect of combining electro-acupuncture with aerobic exercise on the expression of SR-BI receptor and caveolin-1 and ABCA1 proteins in the liver and on reverse cholesterol transport. Any relationship with inflammatory factors NF-κBp65, COX-2 and TNF-α in the aortic arch was also investigated.Methods:Thirty male SPF Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a normal group (NG), a model group (MG), and a group which received electro-acupuncture combined with aerobic exercise (the EAG group), each of 10. A hyperlipidemia model was induced in the rats of the MG and EAG groups by feeding a high-fat diet. For 4 weeks the EAG group received 30 minutes of electroacupuncture daily (frequencies of sparse/dense waves 2/100Hz, 1mA) at the ST40 and SP9 acupoints, followed by 60 minutes of no weight bearing swimming. No intervention was applied to the other groups. Before and after the intervention, serum was collected to observe lipid levels. Liver and aortic arch issue were resected to measure lipid deposition and inflammation using hematoxylin eosin staining. Caveolin-1, SR-BI and ABCA1 in the liver and NF-κBp65, COX-2 and TNF-α in the aortic arch were quantified using real-time PCRs and western blotting.Results:After successful modeling the levels of total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and the protein and mRNA expressions of NF-κBp65, TNF-α, COX-2 and COX-2 in the aortic arches of the MG had increased significantly. High density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and the protein and mRNA expressions of caveolin-1, SR-BI and ABCA1 in the liver had decreased significantly. Compared with the MG, the levels of TC and LDL-C, as well as the protein and mRNA expressions of NF-κBp65, TNF-α, COX-2 and COX-2 in the aortic arches of the EAG had decreased significantly, while the average HDL-C l level, as well as the protein and mRNA of caveolin-1, SR-BI and ABCA1 in the liver were up-regulated significantly.Conclusions:Electroacupuncture combined with aerobic exercise can relieve hyperlipidemia through promoting cholesterol reverse transport and inhibiting inflammation in endothelial cells. Those effects may be related to up-regulating the expression of caveolin-1, SR-BI and ABCA1 in the liver and down-regulating inflammatory factors in the aortic arch.