Objective: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) of "Zhongwan"(CV 12), "Tianshu"(ST 20) and "Shangjuxu"(ST 37) (an acupoint prescription "Changbingfang" for treatment of intestinal disorders) on the expression of colonic nuclear factor kappaB p65 (NF-kappaB p65) protein expression and serum interleukin-4 (IL-4) content in rats, so as to explore its mechanism underlying improvement of ulcerative colitis (UC).
Methods: Thirty SD rats were randomly and equally divided into normal control, model and EA groups (10 rats/group). The UC model was made by enema with 8% acetic acid. EA stimulation (6 Hz/30 Hz) was delivered to "Zhongwan" (CV 12), "Tianshu" (ST 20) and "Shangjuxu" (ST 37) for 15 min separately, 0 h, 24 h and 48 h post-enema. The blood and colon tissues were taken for detection of serum IL-4 content with ELISA, and for assaying colonic NF-kappaB p65 protein expression with immunohistochemistry and Western blot, respectively.
Results: Compared with the normal control group, colonic NF-kappaB p65 protein expression level shown by immunohistochemistry and Western blot and serum IL-4 content were significantly higher in the model group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). After EA stimulation, colonic NF-kappaB p65 protein expression levels shown by both immunohistochemistry and Western blot were down-regulated significantly (P < 0.01, P < 0.05) and serum IL-4 content was up-regulated further in comparison with the model group (P < 0.01).
Conclusion: EA of acupoint recipe "Changbingfang" can down-regulate the proinflammatory NF-kappaB p65 protein expression and up-regulate serum anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-4 level in rats, which may contribute to its effect in improving ulcerative colitis.