Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the most common lung diseases. It is a chronic inflammatory process characterised by airway obstruction and progressive lung inflammation, associated with difficulty breathing and insensitivity to corticosteroid therapy. Although there is some preliminary evidence to suggest a beneficial effect of acupuncture on COPD, its mechanism of action has not been investigated. Our aim was to examine the anti-inflammatory effects of acupuncture in a rat model of COPD induced by exposure to cigarette smoke (CS). Methods: Sixty Sprague–Dawley rats were exposed to the smoke of 15 cigarettes for 1 h/day, 6 days/week for 3 months to induce COPD and treated with acupuncture at BL13 ( Feishu), BL23 ( Shenshu) and Dingchuan (COPD+Acupuncture, n=15), sham acupuncture (COPD+Sham, n=15) or left untreated (n=15). Exposed rats were compared with controls not exposed to CS (control, n=15). Pulmonary function was measured, and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) levels were determined in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid by ELISA. Histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) protein and mRNA expression were examined in lung tissue and in bronchus. Results: Acupuncture treatment appeared to protect pulmonary function and reduce the COPD-induced inflammatory response by decreasing cell inflammation and the production of TNF-α and IL-8. Acupuncture also enhanced HDAC2 mRNA and protein expression, suggesting a possible direct effect on protein structure through post-translational modifications. Conclusions: Our results suggest that acupuncture regulates inflammatory cytokines and contributes to lung protection in a rat model of smoke-induced COPD by modulating HDAC2.

Simple obesity is a worldwide epidemic associated with rapidly growing morbidity and mortality which imposes an enormous burden on individual and public health. As a part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), acupuncture has shown the positive efficacy in the management of simple obesity. In this article, we comprehensively review the clinical and animal studies that demonstrated the potential mechanisms of acupuncture treatment for simple obesity. Clinical studies suggested that acupuncture regulates endocrine system, promotes digestion, attenuates oxidative stress, and modulates relevant molecules of metabolism in patients of simple obesity. Evidence from laboratory indicated that acupuncture regulates lipid metabolism, modulates inflammatory responses, and promotes white adipose tissue browning. Acupuncture also suppresses appetite through regulating appetite regulatory hormones and the downstream signaling pathway. The evidence from clinical and animal studies indicates that acupuncture induces multifaceted regulation through complex mechanisms and moreover a single factor may not be enough to explain the beneficial effects against simple obesity.

Obesity is a worldwide public health problem. Currently, increasing evidence suggests acupuncture and related therapies are effective for obesity. This network meta‐analysis (NMA) was performed to compare the effectiveness of different acupuncture and related therapies. We searched potential randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in three international databases. Thirty‐four trials involving 2283 participants were included. Pairwise meta‐analysis showed that acupuncture and related therapies were superior to lifestyle modification and placebo in reducing weight and body mass index (BMI). Based on decreases in body weight, results from NMA showed that acupoint catgut embedding (standard mean difference [SMD]: 1.26; 95% credible interval [95% CI], 0.46–2.06), acupuncture (SMD: 2.72; 95% CrI, 0.06–5.29), and combination of acupuncture and related theories (SMD: 3.65; 95% CrI, 0.96–6.94) were more effective than placebo. Another NMA result indicated that acupoint catgut embedding (SMD: 0.63; 95% CI, 0.25–1.11), acupuncture (SMD: 1.28; 95% CrI, 0.43–2.06), combination of acupuncture and related therapies (SMD: 1.44; 95% CrI, 0.64–2.38), and electroacupuncture (SMD: 0.60; 95% CrI, 0.03–1.22) were superior to lifestyle modification in decreasing BMI. Combination of acupuncture and related therapies was ranked the optimal method for both reducing weight and BMI. Further studies will clarify which combination of acupuncture and related therapies is better.

Background: Myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury (MIRI) is 1 of the leading causes of disability and mortality worldwide in the cardiovascular diseases. Acupuncture has been widely applied in the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular diseases in recent years. This systematic review protocol aims to provide the methods for evaluating the efficacy of Neiguan (PC6)-based acupuncture pretreatment in animal models of MIRI.Methods and analysis: The electronic databases of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, as well as the Chinese databases such as China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, China Biology Medicine Database and WanFang Database will be searched from inception to November 2019. The outcome measures were myocardial infarct size, the level of ST-segment elevation, left ventricular ejection fraction, shortening fraction, arrhythmia score, cardiac enzymes, and cardiac troponin. Study inclusion, data extraction and quality assessment will be performed independently by 2 reviewers. RevMan 5.3 software will be used for the data synthesis and the quality of each study will be assessed independently by using the Collaborative Approach To Meta-Analysis And Review Of Animal Data From Experimental Studies checklist with minor modification.Results: This review will provide a high-quality synthesis of Neiguan (PC6)-based acupuncture pretreatment for MIRI in animal modelsConclusions: This systematic review will provide conclusive evidence for whether Neiguan (PC6)-based acupuncture pretreatment is an effective intervention in animal models of MIRI.Trial registration number: PROSPERO CRD42020175144.