Research on the Mechanism and Application of Acupuncture Therapy for Asthma: A Review

Abstract

Asthma is a high-risk disease based on airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). In this review, we found that there are many studies on clinical therapy for asthma that focus on the efficacy of acupuncture therapy and its mechanisms, including the functional connectivity of different brain regions, with the aid of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), immune responses/cell recognition (innate lymphoid cells and balance of Th1/Th2 and Treg/Th17), intracellular mechanism (autophagy, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and epigenetic alteration), and ligand–receptor/chemical signaling pathway (neurotransmitter, hormone, and small molecules). In this review, we summarized the clinical and experimental evidence for the mechanisms of acupuncture therapy in asthma to offer insights into drug discovery and clinical therapy. Given the paucity of clinical studies on the mechanisms of acupuncture in the treatment of asthma, this review notably included studies based on animal models to investigate the mechanisms of acupuncture in the treatment of asthma.

Keywords:

• asthma
• acupuncture therapy
• acupoint
• mechanism
• fMRI

Abbreviations

AHR, hyperresponsiveness; fMRI, functional magnetic resonance imaging; GR, glucocorticoid receptors; TCM, traditional Chinese medicine; WHO, World Health Organization; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; PAG, periaqueductal gray; FC, functional connectivity; ILC2s, pulmonary group 2 innate lymphoid cells; ACC, anterior cingulate cortex; HPA, hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal; dVMHC, dynamic voxel-voxel-mirror homomorphic connectivity; vAI, ventral anterior insula; dAI, dorsal anterior insula; PI, posterior insula; Ach, acetylcholine; SP, substance P; TSLP, thymic stromal lymphopoietin; ROS, reactive oxygen species; ASMCs, airway smooth muscle cells; BALF, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid; VCAM-1, vascular cell adhesion protein 1; ICAM-1, intercellular adhesion molecule 1; FEV1, forced expiratory volume in one second; PEF, peak expiratory flow; ERS, Endoplasmic reticulum stress; PERK/eIF2, Proline-rich extensin-like receptor kinase/eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2A; IRE1α/XBP1, endoplasmic reticulum-to-nucleus signaling 1/x-box-binding protein 1; ATF6α/ERp57, activating transcription factor 6 alpha/endoplasmic reticulum resident protein 57; Grp78, 78-kDa glucose-regulated protein; VEGFA, vascular endothelial growth factor A; MUC5AC, mucin 5AC; PtdIns3K, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase; NKA, neurokinin A; NKB, neurokinin B; CGRP, calcitonin-gene related peptide; VIP, vasoactive intestinal peptide; NGF, nerve growth factor; ASM, airway smooth muscle; OXs, Orexins; SOD, superoxide dismutase; GSH, glutathione; MDA, malonaldehyde; LTB4, leukotriene B4; cAMP, cyclic adenosine monophosphate; cGMP, cyclic guanosine monophosphate; NO, nitric oxide; CRH, corticotropin-releasing hormone; ACTH, adrenocorticotropic hormone; CORT, cortisol; CAM, Complementary and alternative medicine.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Wenzhou Basic Medical and Health Science and Technology project (Y20211098) for financial support.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.