Effect of Kechuanting Acupoint Sticking Therapy On Asthma Control And Serum Metabolite Characteristics In Asthma Patients Treated With Long-Term Inhaled Corticosteroid-Formoterol

Background: Despite the availability of inhaled corticosteroid-formoterol treatment, asthma in some patients is poorly controlled. Kechuanting acupoint sticking therapy may regulate immunological functions to improve asthma. In this study, we focused on the effect of Kechuanting acupoint sticking therapy on disease control and the characteristics of serum metabolites in asthma patients treated with long-term inhaled corticosteroid-formoterol. Methods: We enrolled healthy controls (n=30) and asthma patients treated with inhaled corticosteroid-formoterol for at least 6 months (n=30) and evaluated asthma control, lung function, and airway inflammation after treatment with Kechuanting acupoint sticking therapy (in asthma patients at baseline and week 6). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to analyze the serum samples of the two groups. Results: Asthma control test scores, forced expiratory volume in one second, and peak expiratory flow increased (P<0.01) at week 6 in the inhaled corticosteroid-formoterol+ Kechuanting acupoint sticking therapy group, while the level of fractional exhaled nitric oxide did not change significantly (P=0.359). Among the 46 significant metabolites in the asthma patients and healthy controls (at baseline), 12 were restored after 6 weeks of inhaled corticosteroid-formoterol+ Kechuanting acupoint sticking therapy treatment and 8 (e.g., glycine, sucrose, and glycerol) were correlated with the clinical characteristics. Conclusions: Kechuanting acupoint sticking therapy improved asthma control in patients treated with long-term inhaled corticosteroid-formoterol, and the serum metabolomic pathway analysis demonstrated the association of Kechuanting acupoint sticking therapy with carbohydrate, glycerolipid, and amino acid metabolism.Trial registration: https://www.chictr.org.cn, ChiCTR1800016644.

Bufei Yishen Granules Combined with Acupoint Sticking Therapy Suppress Inflammation in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Rats: Via JNK/p38 Signaling Pathway

The present study was initiated to explore the mechanism of the effects of Bufei Yishen granules combined with acupoint sticking therapy (Shu-Fei Tie) on inflammation regulated by c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 MAPK signaling in COPD rats. Seventy-two rats were divided into healthy control (Control), Model, Bufei Yishen (BY), acupoint sticking (AS), Bufei Yishen + acupoint sticking (BY + AS), and aminophylline (APL) groups (n=12 each). COPD rats were exposed to cigarette smoke and bacteria and were given the various treatments from weeks 9 through 20; all animals were sacrificed at the end of week 20. MCP-1, IL-2, IL-6, and IL-10 concentrations in BALF and lung tissue as well as JNK and p38 mRNA and protein levels in lung were measured. The results showed that all the four treatment protocols (BY, AS, BY + AS, and APL) markedly reduced the concentrations of IL-2, IL-6, and MCP-1 and levels of JNK and p38 MAPK mRNA, and the effects of Bufei Yishen granules combined with acupoint sticking therapy were better than acupoint sticking therapy only and aminophylline. In conclusion, the favorable effect of Bufei Yishen granules combined with Shu-Fei Tie may be due to decreased inflammation through regulation of the JNK/p38 signaling pathways.