Electroacupuncture at specific leg points counteracted surgery-related immune suppression by restoring spleen immune-cell maturation through stress-hormone signalling.
Mice were assigned to untreated control, surgical stress, surgical stress with electroacupuncture at Zusanli and Sanyinjiao points, or surgical stress with stimulation at nearby non-acupuncture sites. Stimulation was given before and during surgery. Researchers measured blood stress hormones, assessed maturation markers on spleen dendritic cells, and examined inflammatory gene activity and proteins involved in glucocorticoid signalling. They also blocked the glucocorticoid receptor to test its role.
Surgery reduced dendritic-cell maturation markers and inflammatory signalling while increasing glucocorticoid receptor and glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper expression; nearby stimulation did not prevent these changes. Electroacupuncture reversed these effects, restoring dendritic-cell maturation and inflammatory activity while reducing stress-related signalling. Blocking the glucocorticoid receptor similarly improved dendritic-cell maturation, supporting this pathway as a mechanism for electroacupuncture’s immune-protective effect.
