Acupoint Catgut Embedding Mitigates Sneezing Behavior in Allergic Rhinitis Rats and is Associated with the Attenuation of NMB-NMBR-cVRG Signaling.
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Otolaryngology, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.
- 2School of Clinical Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.
- 3Department of Otolaryngology, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, Chongqing, People's Republic of China.
- 4World Health Organization Collaborating Centre (WHOCC), CHN-56, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.
Abstract
Objective
To investigate whether Yingxiang acupoint catgut embedding (ACE) can alleviate the sneezing behavior in a rat model of allergic rhinitis (AR), and to explore its relationship with the attenuation of the NMB-NMBR-cVRG neural pathway.Methods
Eighty-four SPF-grade SD rats were initially assigned to a control group (n = 24) and an OVA-sensitization group (n = 60). The study was conducted in two sequential stages. In the first stage (n = 24), the successful establishment of the AR model was validated by comparing a randomized subset of model rats (n = 12) with the control group (n = 12). In the second stage, following confirmed modeling, the remaining AR rats (n = 48) were randomized into four treatment subgroups (n = 12 each): AR model, ACE, NMB-siRNA, and NMB-nc groups. The remaining control rats (n = 12) served as the blank group. The primary outcome measures, sneezing frequency and respiratory airflow patterns, were evaluated by whole-body plethysmography (WBP). Secondary measures included nasal inflammatory mediators (ELISA), mucosal histopathology (HE), and protein expression of NMB, NMBR, and c-Fos in the trigeminal-brainstem axis determined via Western blotting (WB), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and immunofluorescence (IF).Results
1. The AR model was successfully established by ovalbumin sensitization. 2. Compared with the AR model group, the ACE group significantly alleviated sneezing symptoms, reduced the levels of AR-related inflammatory factors in nasal lavage fluid, and improved nasal mucosal pathological damage. 3. Compared with the AR model group, the expression levels of NMB, NMBR, and c-Fos were significantly decreased in both the ACE group and the NMB-siRNA group.Conclusion
ACE at Yingxiang attenuates inflammatory stimulus-induced neuronal activation within the NMB-NMBR-cVRG pathway. These findings suggest that ACE plays a critical role in modulating central sneeze reflex sensitivity and neurogenic inflammation in AR rats.
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BibTeX
@article{tang2026acupoint,
title = {{Acupoint Catgut Embedding Mitigates Sneezing Behavior in Allergic Rhinitis Rats and is Associated with the Attenuation of NMB-NMBR-cVRG Signaling.}},
author = {Mi Tang and Feng Xiang and Qinxiu Zhang},
journal = {Journal of inflammation research},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.2147/jir.s602888},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42948312},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Acupoint Catgut Embedding Mitigates Sneezing Behavior in Allergic Rhinitis Rats and is Associated with the Attenuation of NMB-NMBR-cVRG Signaling.
AU - Mi Tang
AU - Feng Xiang
AU - Qinxiu Zhang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - Journal of inflammation research
DO - 10.2147/jir.s602888
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42948312
AB - Objective To investigate whether Yingxiang acupoint catgut embedding (ACE) can alleviate the sneezing behavior in a rat model of allergic rhinitis (AR), and to explore its relationship with the attenuation of the NMB-NMBR-cVRG neural pathway.Methods Eighty-four SPF-grade SD rats were initially assigned to a control group (n = 24) and an OVA-sensitization group (n = 60). The study was conducted in two sequential stages. In the first stage (n = 24), the successful establishment of the AR model was validated by comparing a randomized subset of model rats (n = 12) with the control group (n = 12). In the second stage, following confirmed modeling, the remaining AR rats (n = 48) were randomized into four treatment subgroups (n = 12 each): AR model, ACE, NMB-siRNA, and NMB-nc groups. The remaining control rats (n = 12) served as the blank group. The primary outcome measures, sneezing frequency and respiratory airflow patterns, were evaluated by whole-body plethysmography (WBP). Secondary measures included nasal inflammatory mediators (ELISA), mucosal histopathology (HE), and protein expression of NMB, NMBR, and c-Fos in the trigeminal-brainstem axis determined via Western blotting (WB), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and immunofluorescence (IF).Results 1. The AR model was successfully established by ovalbumin sensitization. 2. Compared with the AR model group, the ACE group significantly alleviated sneezing symptoms, reduced the levels of AR-related inflammatory factors in nasal lavage fluid, and improved nasal mucosal pathological damage. 3. Compared with the AR model group, the expression levels of NMB, NMBR, and c-Fos were significantly decreased in both the ACE group and the NMB-siRNA group.Conclusion ACE at Yingxiang attenuates inflammatory stimulus-induced neuronal activation within the NMB-NMBR-cVRG pathway. These findings suggest that ACE plays a critical role in modulating central sneeze reflex sensitivity and neurogenic inflammation in AR rats.
SN - 1178-7031
ER -