Inhibitory Effect Of Acupuncture on Neutrophil Migration in Rats

摘要

Acupuncture is an ancient and empirical therapeutic procedure known by its efficacy in the treatment of pain. However, the influence of acupuncture on inflammatory process is still poorly understood and additional research is needed. In this work, weinvestigated the effect of manual acupuncture on the migration of neutrophils to the peritoneal cavity induced by the inflammatory stimulus, carrageenam stimulus in Wistar rats. Our results showed that acupuncture treatment inhibited carrageenin-inducedneutrophil migration and that this action is not due to endogenous corticoid release. Furthermore, the concentration of IL-1 beta, but not of TNF-alpha or IL-10 in the carrageenam-induced exudates was inhibited in the acupuncture group. Further researchwill be needed to elucidate the mechanisms involved in the anti-inflammatory action of acupuncture as described here.