Research progress on acupuncture treatment in central nervous system diseases based on NLRP3 inﬂammasome in animal models

Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2023 · DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1118508 · Published: February 28, 2023

Alternative Medicine Immunology Neurology

Simple Explanation

Central nervous system (CNS) diseases are complex and affect patients' quality of life. Acupuncture has shown therapeutic benefits for these diseases. The NLRP3 inflammasome, part of the immune system, contributes to CNS disease development through neuroinflammation. This review explores how acupuncture affects neuroinflammation and the NLRP3 inflammasome in conditions like vascular dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, depression, and spinal cord injury. The activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome worsens CNS diseases. Acupuncture can reduce neuroinflammation by blocking the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway. This review provides a basis for understanding how acupuncture can improve CNS diseases by targeting neuroinflammation.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

Animal models (rats, mice)

Evidence Level

Review

Key Findings

1
Acupuncture alleviates neuroinflammation by inhibiting the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway, thereby improving the progression of CNS diseases.
2
Acupuncture regulates microglia neuroinflammation in CNS diseases, modulating multiple neuroimmune pathways and acting on immune cells by releasing neurotransmitters and hormones.
3
Acupuncture regulates the NLRP3 inflammasome activation with multiple targets, links and pathways, reducing inflammatory factors, lessening OS reaction, and mitigating neuroinflammatory response.

Research Summary

This article summarized the role of NLRP3 inﬂammasome in a variety of common CNS diseases, expounded on its critical activation and regulation mechanisms, and detailed how acupuncture can improve CNS diseases via regulating the activation of NLRP3. Neuroinﬂammation is a cascade of immune responses mediated by innate immune residents of the CNS that can be triggered by damaging processes such as ischemia and hypoxia. Deeply clarifying the role of NLRP3 inﬂammasome in CNS diseases will lay a foundation for comprehensively understanding the occurrence and development of diseases and proposing speciﬁc targeted treatment methods with NLRP3 inﬂammasome inhibitors as the core.

Practical Implications

Therapeutic Target

Inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation presents a potential therapeutic target for treating CNS diseases.

Clinical Application

Acupuncture's anti-inflammatory effects can be leveraged to improve outcomes in CNS disorders by modulating the NLRP3 pathway.

Further Research

Further exploration of acupuncture's mechanisms in regulating autophagy and its interaction with the NLRP3 inflammasome is warranted.

Study Limitations

1
Lack of high-quality randomized controlled trials to ascertain the efficacy and safety of EA in CNS diseases from an overall level.
2
Complexity of individual, as well as the bidirectional, multi-level and multi-target nature of acupuncture regulation.
3
Few studies involving acupuncture to regulate NLRP3 inflammasome in the treatment of other CNS diseases beyond AD, VD, depression, stroke, and SCI.

Your Feedback

Was this summary helpful?

Back to Alternative Medicine