ArticleEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM2021
ST36 Acupuncture Alleviates the Inflammation of Adjuvant-Induced Arthritic Rats by Targeting Monocyte/Macrophage Modulation.
Article in Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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
24 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 34 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effect of acupuncture on pain and swelling of arthritis animal models: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in genetics · 2023Pooled it
- Effects of Acupuncture at ST36 and SP6 on Activity Levels and Pain Thresholds Through Interleukin-1, Interleukin-6, Cortisol, and Matrix Metalloproteinase-13 Modulation in an Osteoarthritis Rat Model.Journal of pharmacopuncture · 2026Article
- Mechano responsiveness of neuroimmune cross-talk in bone and joints: A narrative review with implications for force-based manipulations.Musculoskeletal science & practice · 2026Review
- Acupuncture in remodeling the tumor microenvironment: current status and challenges.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Fibroblasts as key effectors of acupuncture in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Article
- Acupuncture-Mediated Neuro-Immune Regulation in Musculoskeletal Pain: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Perspectives.Journal of pain research · 2026Review
- Antitumor effects of acupuncture and moxibustion: from immune modulation to tumor microenvironment remodeling.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Potential mechanisms of acupuncture treatment for rheumatoid arthritis: a study based on network topology and machine learning.Chinese medicine · 2025Article
- Acupoint massage: a comprehensive descriptive review of its forms, applications, and underlying mechanisms.Chinese medicine · 2025Review
- Acupuncture promotes neurological recovery and regulates lymphatic function after acute inflammatory nerve root injury.Heliyon · 2024Article
- Review
- Acupuncture modulates the gut microbiota in Alzheimer's disease: current evidence, challenges, and future opportunities.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2024Review
- Melittin acupoint injection in attenuating bone erosion in collagen-induced arthritis mice via inhibition of the RANKL/NF-κB signaling pathway.Quantitative imaging in medicine and surgery · 2023Article
- Comparative Study of Different Acupoints for Treating Acute Myocardial Ischemia in Mice.Journal of cardiovascular translational research · 2023Article
- The immunomodulatory mechanisms for acupuncture practice.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Review
- Research Hotspots and Trends on Acupuncture for Anti-Inflammation: A Bibliometric Analysis from 2011 to 2021.Journal of pain research · 2023Article
- Pathological pathway analysis in an experimental rheumatoid arthritis model and the tissue repair effect of acupuncture at ST36.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Article
- Epigenomic Changes after Acupuncture Treatment in Patients Suffering from Burnout.Complementary medicine research · 2022Observational
- Efficacy of Acupuncture and Moxibustion in Alopecia: A Narrative Review.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Review
- Efficacy and Safety of Qinpi Tongfeng Formula Combined with Bloodletting Therapy in the Treatment of Acute Gouty Arthritis: A Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
15 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic chronic autoimmune disease characterized by the aggregation of immune cells and secretion of cytokines in the joint synovium, causing hyperblastosis and even bone destruction. Acupuncture has been proven effective in RA treatment. This study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory action of acupuncture, specifically, in relation to immune cell interactions and key mediators.
methodsRats with adjuvant-induced arthritics (AIA) were treated with manual acupuncture (MA) at
resultsST36 MA alleviated paw edema and upregulated the nociceptive threshold of AIA rats. Several innate and adaptive immune cytokines were dynamically regulated by MA, and MA-treated rats showed a significant improvement in symptoms compared with AIA rats by day 21. The immune cell-cell communication networks were intensified with the development of RA but were significantly reduced after treatment with MA. MA was found to specifically regulate monocytes/macrophages in inflamed ankle joints ST36 MA also inhibited M1-phenotype macrophages accompanied by decreased levels of IL-1
conclusionsST36 MA showed anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects as well as inhibition of immune cell communication networks in inflamed joints of AIA rats. Inhibiting the polarization of macrophages to the M1-phenotype in inflamed joints may be one of the key mechanisms of MA anti-inflammatory action. This research highlighted a systematic research paradigm for investigating mechanisms of acupuncture action.
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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.