Background Acupoint application therapy (AAT) has been widely used to treat allergic inflammation induced by allergic rhinitis (AR). The therapeutic effect of acupoint application is obvious. But the underlying therapeutic mechanism is still indistinct. Nerve growth factor (NGF) expression showed a dramatic rise in nasal mucosa tissue after AR, and allergic inflammation also increased significantly. To demonstrate how AAT can improve allergic inflammation by down-regulating the expression of NGF, AR rat models were established by intraperitoneal injection of ovalbumin (OVA) and nasal drops in SD rats. The number of nasal rubbing, sneezing and the degree of runny nose were observed and the symptoms were scored by behavioral symptom scoring method within 3 min. The expression levels of NGF and its downstream key proteins, such as IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, IgE and IFN-γ were determined by q-PCR, Western blot analysis, ELISA and immunofluorescence staining. Furthermore, H&E staining and toluidine blue staining were used to observe the pathological structure of nasal mucosa and mast cells in nasal mucosa, and the ultrastructure of nasal mucosa was observed by electron microscopy. Results Our data demonstrated that acupoint application significantly reduced the score of behavioral symptoms, and decreased the expression levels of NGF and its downstream key proteins, including IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, IgE, as well as promoting the expression level of IFN-γ in nasal mucosa tissue in AR rats. Thus, the activation of IgE and viability of mast cells was inhibited. Conclusion Our findings suggest that AAT can attenuate allergic inflammation by inhibiting the expression of NGF and its downstream pathway.

中文翻译：

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穴位贴敷抑制过敏性鼻炎模型大鼠神经生长因子并减轻过敏性炎症。

背景 穴位贴敷疗法（AAT）已广泛用于治疗过敏性鼻炎（AR）引起的过敏性炎症。穴位敷贴治疗效果明显。但潜在的治疗机制仍不清楚。AR后鼻黏膜组织中神经生长因子（NGF）的表达显着增加，过敏性炎症也显着增加。为了证明 AAT 如何通过下调 NGF 的表达来改善过敏性炎症，通过腹膜内注射卵清蛋白 (OVA) 和滴鼻剂在 SD 大鼠中建立 AR 大鼠模型。观察揉鼻次数、打喷嚏次数和流鼻涕程度，在3 min内采用行为症状评分法对症状进行评分。NGF及其下游关键蛋白如IL-4、IL-5、IL-13、通过q-PCR、Western印迹分析、ELISA和免疫荧光染色测定IgE和IFN-γ。进一步采用H&E染色和甲苯胺蓝染色观察鼻黏膜及鼻黏膜肥大细胞的病理结构，电镜观察鼻黏膜超微结构。结果我们的数据表明，穴位应用显着降低了行为症状评分，降低了NGF及其下游关键蛋白IL-4、IL-5、IL-13、IgE的表达水平，并促进了表达水平AR大鼠鼻黏膜组织中IFN-γ的研究。因此，抑制了IgE的活化和肥大细胞的活力。结论 我们的研究结果表明，AAT 可以通过抑制 NGF 及其下游通路的表达来减轻过敏性炎症。