title: [Influence of acupuncture on IL-1beta and TNF-alpha expression in the cartilage of rats with knee osteoarthritis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the influence of acupuncture treatment on proinflammatory cytokines of osteoarthritic (OA) cartilage.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty female SD rats were randomly and averagely divided into four groups: the normal, model, acupuncture and control group. The method of heel tendon resection for unilateral hind limb was used to establish OA animal models-that was to cut off the rat's heel tendon of left hind limb. The acupuncture group and control group were respectively treated by electro-acupuncture and Diclofenac on right hind limb of each animal for 2 weeks. Immunohistochemical staining was used to observe the expression characteristic of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha in cartilage of each group,and the differences were compared among the groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both IL-1beta and TNF-alpha expression in model group were significantly up-regulated than those in the normal group (P<0.01). Their expression in model, acupuncture and control group were significantly different (P< 0.01). IL-1beta and TNF-alpha expression were significantly down-regulated in acupuncture and control group than that in model group (P<0.01), while the difference between the two former groups was not significant (P>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Acupuncture can down-regulate the expression of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha in osteoarthritic chondrocytes, and the regulating effect is the same as Diclofenac. This shows that acupuncture has a certain protective effect on osteoarthritic cartilage.
authors: Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College & Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730, China.
authors: Dao-hai
authors: DH
authors: Wang
authors: Fei
authors: F
authors: Bao
authors: Zhi-hong
authors: ZH
authors: Wu
authors: Hua
authors: H
authors: Sun
authors: Yun-xiang
authors: YX
authors: Zhang
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000818:Animals; D002356:Cartilage / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D053583:Interleukin-1beta / Q000378:metabolism*; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000628:therapy*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D053583:Interleukin-1beta; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha