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Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine >

2025 , Vol. 45 >Issue 6: 1263 - 1272

DOI: https://doi.org/10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2025.06.007

Original Articles

Effect of Xuanfei Tongqiao acupuncture on nasal inflammation in rats with allergic rhinitis: modulation of long non-coding RNA growth arrest-specific transcript 5 methylation modification

  • Hequn LYU ,
  • Chunli ZENG ,
  • Hanrui ZHANG ,
  • Chen YANG ,
  • Yan SHEN ,
  • Yongjun PENG
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  • 1 Department of Acupuncture and Rehabilitation, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210029, China
    2 Department of Acupuncture, Yancheng TCM Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Yancheng 224000, China
    3 Department of Lung Disease, Yancheng TCM Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Yancheng 224000, China
    4 Department of Critical Care Medicine, Seventh People’s Hospital of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200137, China
    5 Department of Acupuncture and Rehabilitation, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210029, China
    6 National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300000, China
    7 Department of Acupuncture and Rehabilitation, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210029, China
    8 National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300000, China
LYU Hequn and ZENG Chunli are co-first authors and contributed equally to this work

Received date: 2024-06-12

  Accepted date: 2024-12-30

  Online published: 2025-11-24

Supported by

Multi-Center Clinical Study on Xuanfei Tongqiao Acupuncture combined with Sphenopalatine Ganglion Stimulation in the Treatment of Allergic Rhinitis(NCRCOP2023008);Clinical Observation on Preventive Acupuncture for Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis based on the Theory of "Strong Spleen Prevents Pathogenic Invasion"(2020043);Mechanism of Xuanfei Tongqiao Acupuncture in Treating Allergic Rhinitis via m6A Methylation Modification of lncRNA GAS5(YK2023017)

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of Xuanfei Tongqiao acupuncture on nasal inflammation in rats with allergic rhinitis (AR) and its underlying mechanisms, particularly focusing on the role of acupuncture in regulating the methylation of long non-coding RNA growth arrest-specific transcript 5 (lncRNA GAS5).

METHODS: Interventions involved acupuncture or short hairpin RNA-GAS5 (sh-GAS5) lentivirus in an ovalbumin-induced AR rat model. Nasal mucosal tissues were collected post-intervention for pathological analysis. Parameters assessed included the proportion of type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s), the expression of GATA binding protein 3 (GATA3), methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3), interleukin (IL)-33 proteins, and the expression of METTL3 and lncRNA-GAS5.

RESULTS: Xuanfei Tongqiao acupuncture and/or lentivirus sh-GAS5 significantly alleviated rhinitis symptoms and reduced nasal inflammation in AR rats. This was evidenced by a reduction in inflammatory cells, eosinophils, and cuprocytes in nasal mucosal tissues, along with a decreased proportion of ILC2s. Furthermore, protein levels of GATA3, METTL3, and IL-33, as well as the expression of METTL3 and lncRNA-GAS5, were significantly reduced. These findings suggest that lncRNA-GAS5 and its N6-methyladenosine methylation are key regulators of AR inflammation, with acupuncture exerting a modulatory effect on this pathway.

CONCLUSIONS: Xuanfei Tongqiao acupuncture therapy inhibited the METTL3-GAS5-GATA3-IL-33-ILC2 pathway, reducing the inflammatory response and alleviating nasal symptoms in AR rats. These results suggest that Xuanfei Tongqiao acupuncture could serve as a potential alternative therapy for preventing and managing AR associated with inflammation.

Key words： acupuncture; rhinitis, allergic; RNA, long noncoding; methylation

Cite this article

Hequn LYU , Chunli ZENG , Hanrui ZHANG , Chen YANG , Yan SHEN , Yongjun PENG . Effect of Xuanfei Tongqiao acupuncture on nasal inflammation in rats with allergic rhinitis: modulation of long non-coding RNA growth arrest-specific transcript 5 methylation modification[J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2025 , 45(6) : 1263 -1272 . DOI: 10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2025.06.007

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