title: The role of the sympathetic nervous system in moxibustion-induced immunomodulation in rats.
abstract: The effects of chemical sympathectomy on moxibustion-induced changes in splenic natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity, T and B cell proliferation were studied. Direct moxibustion was applied to the unilateral Zusanli region. NK cell cytotoxicity was suppressed by moxibustion in both vehicle-treated rats and sympathectomized rats. T cell proliferation was not affected by moxibustion. B cell proliferation showed no significant change in vehicle-treated rats, but an increase was seen in sympathectomized rats treated with moxibustion. Sympathectomy alone induced an augmentation of NK cell cytotoxicity and a suppression of T cell proliferation. These results suggest that the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) has no significant role in the mechanism of moxibustion-induced immunomodulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of East-West Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung-Hee University, #1 Hoegi-Dong, Dongdaemun-Gu, 130-701, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jae Bok
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Sang-Duck
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Ki-Seok
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ki-Soon
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Young-Wuk
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Hyun -ong
authors.initials: H-
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Hyunsu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bae
authors.forename: Byung-Il
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Min
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003601:Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic / Q000379:methods; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy / Q000379:methods; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D009071:Moxibustion / Q000379:methods*; D015213:Neuroimmunomodulation / Q000502:physiology*; D016627:Oxidopamine; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D013563:Sympathectomy, Chemical; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D016627:Oxidopamine