Background: Zanthoxylum bungeanum-cake-separated moxibustion (ZBCS-moxi), a kind of traditional therapy of moxibustion, has been used

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Background: Zanthoxylum bungeanum-cake-separated moxibustion (ZBCS-moxi), a kind of traditional therapy of moxibustion, has been used in China since 340 B.C. However, its mechanism remains unclear. So, this study was attempted to reveal the anti-inflammatory effect of ZBCS-moxi on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) rats. Methods and Materials: Forty health SD female rats were randomly divided into 4 groups (n=10/group): control group, model group, Zanthoxylum bungeanum-cake-separated moxibustion group (ZBCS-moxi group) and Aconitum carmichaeli-cake-separated moxibustion group (ACCS-moxi group). RA model was induced by injecting 0.1 ml Freund’s complete adjuvant (FCA) into the right hind paw of rats. Eleven days after CFA injection, the rats in ZBCS-moxi group received Zanthoxylum bungeanum- cake-separated moxibustion on Shenshu (BL23), Zusanli (ST36) acupoints and the dorsum right hind paw respectively for 3 weeks. The ACCS-moxi group was used as a positive control, while the rats were treated with Aconitum carmichaeli-cake-separated moxibustion on the same acupoints and courses. After a 3-week treatment, we investigated anti-inflammatory effect by measuring the paw volume, observing the pathologic morphology of synovial membranes and detecting the concentration of IL-1β and TNF-α in serum. Results: Compared to model group, the swollen paw volumes, the synovial hyperplasia and pannus formation of synovial membranes and the concentration of IL-1β and TNF-α in serum decreased obviously (P