EFFECTS OF ELECTROACUPUNCTURE ON TH17/TREG CELL BALANCE AND RELATED CYTOKINES IN A RAT MODEL OF ULCERATIVE COLITIS

The rat model induced by dextran sulfate sodium has similarities with human ulcerative colitis(UC).Th17 is known to induce chronic inflammation and mediate autoimmune disease.Treg is known to maintain the human body’s immune steady-state and prevent autoimmune disease.The two cells mentioned above have mutual inhibition effect of differentiation and function, which can be positively and negatively regulated by a variety of cytokines and transcription factors in body’s immune response, so that to jointly maintain the immune balance.The main findings in the present studies show that Th17/Treg cell balance plays an important role in the pathogenesis of UC.Electroacupuncture(EA) is known to have curative effect on UC.This experiment is to verify that EA can cure UC by regulating Th17/Treg through investigating the changes of IL-6, IL-10, and IL-23 in blood and Th17 and Treg in colon tissue.