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. 2015:2015:938054.
doi: 10.1155/2015/938054. Epub 2015 Aug 4.

Moxibustion and Acupuncture Ameliorate Crohn's Disease by Regulating the Balance between Th17 and Treg Cells in the Intestinal Mucosa

Chen Zhao  1 , Chunhui Bao  1 , Jing Li  2 , Yifang Zhu  3 , Siyao Wang  1 , Ling Yang  4 , Yin Shi  1 , Huirong Liu  1 , Chuanzi Dou  1 , Guanghong Ding  5 , Xiaomei Wang  1 , Huangan Wu  1
Affiliations

Moxibustion and Acupuncture Ameliorate Crohn's Disease by Regulating the Balance between Th17 and Treg Cells in the Intestinal Mucosa

Chen Zhao et al. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015.

Abstract

Previous studies have demonstrated that acupuncture is beneficial to patients with Crohn's disease (CD), but the mechanism underlying its therapeutic effects remains unclear. To identify the mechanism by which acupuncture treats CD, the balance between Th17 and Treg cells was assessed in CD patients. In this study, Ninety-two CD patients were randomly and equally assigned to a treatment group that were treated with herb-partitioned moxibustion and acupuncture or a control group with wheat bran-partitioned moxibustion and superficial acupuncture. The effect of these treatments on Th17 and Treg cells and their related molecular markers in the intestinal mucosa were detected before (week 0) and after (week 12) treatment. The results suggested that the ratio of Th17 and Treg cells was significantly decreased after treatment and that the levels of IL-17 and RORγt in the intestinal mucosa were obviously reduced, while the expression of FOXP3 was increased after treatment in both groups. In the treatment group, the expression of these molecules was more markedly regulated than the control group. In conclusion, moxibustion and acupuncture have been shown to regulate the ratio of Th17 and Treg cells in the intestinal mucosa of CD patients and restore the balance between these immune cell subsets.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
HE staining images of the intestinal mucosa from both groups of patients (a) before and (b) after treatment from patients in the treatment group and (c) before and (d) after treatment from patients in the control group (200x).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Th17 and Treg cells in the intestinal mucosa. Th17 (red) and Treg (green) cells were detected by immunofluorescence (a) before and (b) after treatment from patients in the treatment group and (c) before and (d) after treatment from patients in the control group (200x).
Figure 3
Figure 3
The ratio of Th17/Treg cells in the intestinal mucosa of both groups of patients before and after treatment. Comparison within groups, ∗ P < 0.05.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Expression of IL-17 in the intestinal mucosa (a) before and (b) after treatment from patients in the treatment group and (c) before and (d) after treatment from patients in the control group (200x).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Quantitation of IL-17 mRNA and protein levels in the intestinal mucosa. (a) Levels of IL-17 protein in the intestinal mucosa. (b) Levels of IL-17 mRNA in the intestinal mucosa. Comparison within groups, ∗ P < 0.05, ∗∗ P < 0.01; comparison between groups, # P < 0.05, ## P < 0.01.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Expression of RORγt in the intestinal mucosa (a) before and (b) after treatment from patients in the treatment group and (c) before and (d) after treatment from patients in the control group (200x).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Quantitation of RORγt mRNA and protein levels in the intestinal mucosa. (a) Levels of RORγt protein in the intestinal mucosa. (b) Levels of RORγt mRNA in the intestinal mucosa. Comparison within groups, ∗ P < 0.05, ∗∗ P < 0.01; comparison between groups, # P < 0.05, ## P < 0.01.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Expression of FOXP3 in the intestinal mucosa (a) before and (b) after treatment from patients in the treatment group and (c) before and (d) after treatment from patients in the control group (200x).
Figure 9
Figure 9
Quantitation of FOXP3 mRNA and protein levels in the intestinal mucosa. (a) Levels of FOXP3 protein in the intestinal mucosa. (b) Levels of FOXP3 mRNA in the intestinal mucosa. Comparison within groups, ∗ P < 0.05, ∗∗ P < 0.01; comparison between groups, # P < 0.05, ## P < 0.01.
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