基于CD4+T细胞亚群分化平衡探讨电针对小鼠慢性痒的治疗作用及神经免疫学机制

The allergic contact dermatitis induced the severe chronic itch seriously affects the patients' quality of life. Because the mechanisms of chronic itch are complex, the clinical treatment is difficult. Practice has shown that acupuncture at ST36 could relieve itch, but the effects of electroacupuncture on chronic itch and its underlying mechanism are still unclear. Studies displayed that both the visceral sympathetic nerve and vagus nerve could regulate the activity of splenic immune cells. In the present experiment, we found that the splenic CD4+ T cells were significantly increased and differentiated into Th2 cells in the chronic itch mice induced by allergic contact dermatitis. And the excessive activation of Th2 cells was closely related to the occurrence and development of chronic itch. First, the aim of this study is to evaluate the therapeutic effects of electroacupuncture at ST36 on chronic itch via behavioral and morphological methods. And then using flow cytometry to clarify the neuroimmunological mechanisms that the electroacupuncture regulates the proliferation and differentiation of splenic CD4+ T cells via the visceral sympathetic nerve or vagus nerve-norepinephrine-α2-AR pathway. Our results will provide new ideas to reveal the mechanism of acupuncture relieving chronic itch.

变应性接触性皮炎(ACD)所伴随的持续性剧烈瘙痒严重影响患者生活质量，但慢性痒机理复杂，为临床治疗带来困难。临床实践表明针刺足三里穴可以缓解患者的瘙痒症状，但其对慢性痒的治疗作用及作用机理尚有待深入研究。研究报道，内脏交感神经和传出迷走神经的激活均能调节脾脏免疫细胞的活性。本课题预实验观察到，ACD慢性痒小鼠脾脏CD4+T细胞明显增殖且向Th2细胞大量分化，而Th2细胞的过度激活与慢性痒的发生发展密切相关。本课题拟在ACD慢性痒小鼠模型上，采用行为学、流式细胞术、分子生物学、神经切断术及药理学等方法观察不同参数电针刺激足三里穴对慢性痒的治疗作用，同时重点研究电针通过内脏交感神经或传出迷走神经-脾神经-去甲肾上腺素-α2去甲肾上腺素受体(α2-AR)通路抑制CD4+T细胞增殖及向Th2细胞分化，从而治疗慢性痒的神经免疫学调控机制，为深入揭示针刺止痒的原理提供新思路。

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