Preclinical study reveals abdominal acupuncture reduces allergic rhinitis pathology in rats, indicating therapeutic effects mediated by estrogen pathway suppression and immune rebalancing.
Key Points
To investigate the therapeutic efficacy and underlying molecular mechanisms of abdominal acupuncture in an ovalbumin-induced allergic rhinitis rat model.
Established an ovalbumin-induced allergic rhinitis rat model treated with abdominal acupuncture, evaluating nasal mucosal pathology via hematoxylin and eosin staining.
Quantified serum levels of IgE, IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, and IFN-γ using ELISA, and conducted transcriptome sequencing followed by KEGG pathway enrichment analysis.
Performed rescue experiments using an estrogen maintenance model to validate the role of estrogen signaling in treatment response.
Acupuncture significantly decreased serum IgE, IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 levels while elevating IFN-γ, successfully correcting the allergic Th2 bias.
Transcriptomic analysis identified the estrogen signaling pathway as the primary enriched pathway, with acupuncture sustaining therapeutic and immune-modulating benefits even under high-estrogen conditions.