Electroacupuncture eased allergy-like skin inflammation by suppressing complement-driven immune signalling while reshaping lipid and amino acid metabolism.
Researchers induced localized allergic skin reactions in rats using ovalbumin, then delivered electroacupuncture at two specified acupuncture points for five consecutive days. They monitored skin swelling and scratching, examined tissue pathology, mast cell activity, vascular leakage, and inflammatory markers, and analysed proteins and metabolites in skin and blood samples through integrated proteomic and metabolomic profiling.
Electroacupuncture was associated with smaller skin reactions, less scratching, reduced vascular permeability, and lower inflammatory activity. Molecular analyses indicated changes in lipid and amino acid metabolism alongside reduced complement components and their receptors in skin, as well as lower circulating inflammatory mediators, suggesting that complement signalling and metabolic regulation may jointly contribute to its anti-inflammatory effects.
