Based on Toll-like receptor 4(TLR-4)/MyD88/nuclear factor kappa-B(NF-κB)signal pathway,the regulatory effect of warm acupuncture on rabbit model of knee osteoarthritis was observed,and the mechanism of warm acupuncture in treating knee osteoarthritis was discussed.
Forty healthy big-ear white rabbits were randomly divided into blank group,model group,warm acupuncture group and western medicine group,with 10 rabbits in each group. The model of knee osteoarthritis was established by improved Hulth method. After four weeks of intervention,two rabbits were randomly killed. The pathological examination showed that the model was successful. HE staining was used to observe the morphological changes of rabbit knee joint and Mankin's score was made. Immunohistochemical method was used to observe the expressions of TLR-4,MyD88 and NF-κB in rabbit knee cartilage,and semi-quantitative analysis was made. The contents of interleukin-6(IL-6),interleukin-1β(IL-1β)and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)in rabbit serum were detected by ELISA. The protein expression levels of TLR-4,MyD88 and NF-κB in cartilage were detected by Wes automatic protein blot quantitative analysis system.
HE staining showed that the cartilage tissue of knee joint in the blank group was smooth without any pathological changes. In the model group,the surface of cartilage tissue was rough,and chondrocytes were clustered or reduced. The surface of cartilage tissue in warm acupuncture group and western medicine group was uneven,with a few cracks and a small amount of inflammatory cell infiltration. Compared with the blank group,the serum levels of IL-6,IL-1β and TNF-α in the model group increased significantly(P<0.05),while those in the warm acupuncture group and western medicine group decreased significantly(P<0.05). Compared with those of the blank group,the expressions of TLR-4,MyD88 and NF-κB protein in cartilage tissue of the model group were significantly increased(P<0.05),while the expressions of TLR-4,MyD88 and NF-κB protein in cartilage tissue of the warm acupuncture group and western medicine group were significantly decreased(P<0.05),and the effect of the warm acupuncture group was more significant.
Warm acupuncture can inhibit the activation of TLR-4/MyD88/NF-κB signal pathway,reduce the contents of IL-6,IL-1β and TNF-α downstream,alleviate the inflammatory reaction,delay the progress of the disease,achieve the purpose of treating knee osteoarthritis,and repair the cartilage tissue to a certain extent.
| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |