Effect of acupuncture versus artificial tears for dry eye disease

Purpose. The purpose of this study is to determine the mechanism of improvement in dry eye diseases (DEDs) treated by acupuncture. The inflammatory molecules and related pathways will be analyzed in our study. Methods. In order to establish the animal model for DEDs, healthy New Zealand white rabbits were treated with scopolamine (Scop) hydrobromide for 21 consecutive days. After 21 days, acupuncture, fluorometholone (Flu), and α7nAChR antagonist (α-BGT) treatments were performed, and the Scop injections were continued until day 35. The therapeutic effect of acupuncture on DED inflammation was evaluated by corneal fluorescence staining, tear film rupture time, tear flow measurement, in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM), corneal histopathology, and cytokine protein chip technology. The influence of acupuncture on the corneal pathology and inflammatory factors ACh, α7nAChR, and NF-κB was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and western blot. Results. Compared with the group Scop, acupuncture can significantly reduce corneal staining and increase the tear film rupture time and tear flow, which are accompanied by a decrease in corneal epithelial detachment and lymphocyte infiltration. Acupuncture can relieve the inflammation of corneal stroma and mitigate the expression of proinflammatory factors and chemokines. Acupuncture can upregulate the expression of ACh and α7nAChR and downregulate the expression of NF-κB. Conclusion. Our findings demonstrate that acupuncture can alleviate corneal inflammation in New Zealand white rabbits with DEDs via α7nAChR and NF-κB signaling pathway regulation. The expression indicates that α7nAChR/NF-κB signaling pathway may be active and that acupuncture is a potential therapeutic target for dry eye.

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Efficacy and safety of the acupuncture combined with auricular acupressure for dry eye disease：study protocol for a multicenter randomized clinical trial

Li,

Mou,

Sun

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Introduction: Dry eye disease (DED) is a chronic disorder of the ocular surface (OS) that is influenced by a variety of factors, resulting in ocular discomfort and visual impairment. Studies have also shown that dry eye syndrome detrimentally impacts patients' sleep quality (SQ), mental well-being, and overall mental health. This study aims to assess the efficacy and safety of the acupuncture combined with auricular acupressure in reducing ocular symptoms and enhancing sleep and mood among patients with DED. Methods In this multicenter, randomized controlled trial (RCT), 126 patients will be enrolled and randomly assigned in equal proportions to the intervention or control group. Participants in the intervention group will undergo three 30-minute sessions weekly over 8 weeks, whereas the control group will be treated with 0.1% sodium hyaluronate eye drop. Following the intervention, an eight-week follow-up will be conducted. Primary outcomes include the Ocular surface disease Index (OSDI), Breaking up time (BUT), Conjunctival Impression Cytology (CIC), and cornea fluorescein staining (CFS). Secondary outcomes are Tear meniscus height (TMH), Meibum quality score (MQS), Meibomian gland score (MGS), Meiboscore, Function of the meibomian gland, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Self-rating depression Scale (SDS), and Self-rating anxiety scale (SAS). Evaluations will take place at weeks 0, 4, 8, 12, and 16. Discussion This research is intended to elucidate the advantages of acupuncture in mitigating symptoms of DED and in regulating disturbances in sleep and mood among patients. Trial registration: http://itmctr.ccebtcm.org.cn , ID: ITMCTR2024000673. Registered 7th November 2024.

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Effect of acupuncture versus artificial tears for dry eye disease

Cited by 3 publications

References 36 publications

Physical Therapy Modalities of Western Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine for Meibomian Gland Dysfunction

Physical Therapy Modalities of Western Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine for Meibomian Gland Dysfunction

Acupuncture Alleviates Corneal Inflammation in New Zealand White Rabbits with Dry Eye Diseases by Regulating α7nAChR and NF-κB Signaling Pathway

Efficacy and safety of the acupuncture combined with auricular acupressure for dry eye disease：study protocol for a multicenter randomized clinical trial

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