Abdominal Acupuncture in Improving Allergic Rhinitis Through Estrogen Inhibition and Regulation of Immune Factor Secretion

Abstract

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common allergic disease with limited treatment options and potential side effects from conventional therapies. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects and underlying mechanisms of abdominal acupuncture (AA) on AR. An ovalbumin (OVA)-induced AR rat model was established. After AA intervention, pathological changes in the nasal mucosal were evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. Serum levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE), interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-5, IL-13, and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Transcriptome sequencing was performed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and enriched signaling pathways. Rescue experiments using an estrogen maintenance model were further conducted to verify the specific mechanism of AA in AR treatment. HE staining showed that the AR model presented with ciliary loss, epithelial shedding, goblet cell hypertrophy, disordered cell arrangement and infiltration of eosinophils and other inflammatory cells in the nasal mucosa. Following AA intervention, these pathological changes were markedly alleviated, with only slight ciliary loss and a more orderly epithelial structure. ELISA results showed that AA treatment decreased IgE, IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13, while increasing IFN-γ content, thereby correcting T helper 2 (Th2) bias. Transcriptome analysis identified 49 overlapping genes that were either upregulated in AR and downregulated by AA, or vice versa. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis indicated that the estrogen signaling pathway was the most significantly enriched. ELISA further revealed significant differences in estrogen levels between the AR+AA group and AR group. In the estrogen maintenance model, AA continued to alleviate AR symptoms under high-estrogen conditions, accompanied by decreased serum IgE, IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 levels and increased IFN-γ content. These findings suggest that AA may treat AR by inhibiting the estrogen signaling axis, thereby regulating immune factor secretion. This provides a potentially theoretical basis for the treatment of AR with AA.