Effects of Moxibustion on NLRP3 Inflammasome and Caspase-12 in Synovium of Experimental RA Rabbits / 世界科学技术-中医药现代化

ABSTRACT

Objective To observe the effects of moxibustion on the expression of Nucleotide binding oligomeric domain like receptor thermoprotein domain associated protein 3(Nod-like receptor protein 3,NLRP3)inflammasome and Cysteine aspartate protease 12(Caspase-12)in synovial tissue of experimental Rheumatoid Arthritis(RA)rabbits,and explore the anti-inflammatory mechanism of moxibustion on RA rabbits.Methods Twenty-four Japanese big-eared white rabbits were randomly divided into 3 groups according to body weight and sex:the control group,the model group and the moxibustion group.The Freund's Complete Adjuvant(FCA)was injected into the joint cavities of two knee joints of rabbits at the dose of 0.5 mL·kg-1 in the model group and the moxibustion group,and the control group was injected with the same amount of normal saline as control.For the moxibustion group,scar free moxibustion was operated at bilateral"BL 23"and"ST 36"acupoints,moxibustion for 3 times per acupoint per day,continuous treatment for 6 days,rest for 1 day,as a course of treatment,a total of 3 courses of treatment.The histological changes of synovium samples of rabbit knee joints were observed under light microscope,real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR)was used to detect the expression of NLRP3,Cysteine aspartate protease 1(Caspase-1),Caspase-12 in synovial tissues and Enzyme-linked immuno sorbent assay(ELISA)was used to measure the change of Interleukin-1β(IL-1β)content in the synovial fluid of experimental animals.Results Compared with the control group,the degree of synovial lesions(inflammatory cell infiltration,synovial tissue hyperplasia,fibrous tissue hyperplasia,macrophage hyperplasia,etc.)and pathological score were increased(P<0.05),the expression of NLRP3,Caspase-1 mRNA were increased(P<0.05),the expression of Caspase-12 mRNA was significantly downregulated(P<0.01)and the expression content of IL-1β was significantly up-regulated(P<0.01)in the model group;Compared with the model group,the synovial lesion degree and pathological score were decreased(P<0.05),the expression of NLRP3,Caspase-1 mRNA were decreased(P<0.05),the expression of Caspase-12 mRNA was significantly increased(P<0.01)and the expression of IL-1β was decreased(P<0.05)in the moxibustion group.Conclusion Moxibustion can significantly inhibit the pathological process of knee synovitis in RA rabbits;Moxibustion at"Shenshu(BL 23)"and"Zusanli(ST 36)"acupoints can significantly up-regulate the expression of Caspase-12 and then inhibit the NLRP3 inflammasome,which may be one of mechanisms of moxibustion to reduce RA inflammatory response.