ArticlePloS one2016
Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Acupuncture Stimulation via the Vagus Nerve.
Article in PloS one, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 70 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
70 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 119 citations in OpenAlex.
- Revealing the biological mechanism of acupuncture in alleviating excessive inflammatory responses and organ damage in sepsis: a systematic review.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Pooled it
- Acupuncture for radiation-induced toxicity in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: a systematic review based on PICO criteria.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2022Pooled it
- The potential for autonomic neuromodulation to reduce perioperative complications and pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.British journal of anaesthesia · 2022Pooled it
- Timing of Acupuncture Treatment in Peripheral Facial Paralysis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Computational and mathematical methods in medicine · 2021Pooled it
- Laser Acupuncture Improves Tear Film Stability in Patients with Dry Eye Disease: A Two-Center Randomized-Controlled Trial.Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.) · 2021Trial
- Reduced vagal tone in women with endometriosis and auricular vagus nerve stimulation as a potential therapeutic approach.Scientific reports · 2021Trial
- Acupuncture attenuates postoperative inflammation in patients after craniotomy: A prospective, open-label, controlled trial.Medicine · 2020Trial
- Acupuncture treatment modulates the corticostriatal reward circuitry in major depressive disorder.Journal of psychiatric research · 2017Trial
- Augmentation of Cancer Cachexia Components With Targeted Acupuncture in Patients With Gastrointestinal Cancers: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study.Integrative cancer therapiesTrial
- The efficacy of Qingjin Huazhuo Decoction combined with acupuncture therapy on pulmonary function and quality of life in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.Pakistan journal of medical sciences · 2026Article
- Electroacupuncture Attenuates Colitis in Mice Through Activation of Vagus Cholinergic Antiinflammatory Pathways.Journal of inflammation research · 2026Article
- Electroacupuncture-inspired neuroimmune modulation in sepsis: evidence appraisal and ICU trial-design priorities.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Review
- Qingre Liangxue Acupuncture for Psoriasis: A Cholinergic Neuroimmune Framework.International journal of general medicine · 2026Review
- Modulation of immune responses by acupuncture at Jing-Well points in neurological disorders: exploring mechanisms and clinical applications in the era of modern electrophysiology.American journal of translational research · 2026Review
- Electroacupuncture ameliorates Autism Spectrum Disorder via modulating the gut-brain axis depending on the integrity of vagus nerve.Translational psychiatry · 2025Article
- A Retrospective Examination of Acupuncture and Acupressure for Patients with Severe Preeclampsia.Medical acupuncture · 2025Article
- Acupuncture at Zusanli (ST36) for the benefits of sepsis-laboratory evidence for "preventive treatment of disease" and "holistic concept" in the protective effects of acupuncture: a literature review of rodent studies.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Review
- The effects of needle and warm needle on hemodynamic responses at different acupoints in patients with knee osteoarthritis.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2025Article
- Acupuncture treatment is associated with a decreased risk of dementia in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in Taiwan: A propensity-score matched cohort study.Integrative medicine research · 2024Article
- Review
10 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Although acupuncture therapy is widely used in traditional Asian medicine for the treatment of diverse internal organ disorders, its underlying biological mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, we investigated the functional involvement of acupuncture stimulation (AS) in the regulation of inflammatory responses. TNF-α production in mouse serum, which was induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration, was decreased by manual acupuncture (MAC) at the zusanli acupoint (stomach36, ST36). In the spleen, TNF-α mRNA and protein levels were also downregulated by MAC and were recovered by using a splenic neurectomy and a vagotomy. c-Fos, which was induced in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) and dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve (DMV) by LPS and electroacupuncture (EAC), was further increased by focal administration of the AMPA receptor blocker CNQX and the purinergic receptor antagonist PPADS. TNF-α levels in the spleen were decreased by CNQX and PPADS treatments, implying the involvement of inhibitory neuronal activity in the DVC. In unanesthetized animals, both MAC and EAC generated c-Fos induction in the DVC neurons. However, MAC, but not EAC, was effective in decreasing splenic TNF-α production. These results suggest that the therapeutic effects of acupuncture may be mediated through vagal modulation of inflammatory responses in internal organs.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.