Review Article
The Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Acupuncture and Their Relevance to Allergic Rhinitis: A Narrative Review and Proposed Model
Table 4
Summary of acupuncture effects on neurotrophins, IgE and eosinophils.
(a) Neurotrophins: biphasic action depending on disease and model |
| Disease | Model | Reported effect | Reference |
| Parkinson’s disease | Rodent | Upregulates BDNF in substantia nigra | [86] | Retinitis pigmentosa | Rodent | Upregulates NGF and BDNF in retina | [87] | Spinal cord injury | Feline | Upregulates NGF in spine | [88] | Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) | Rodent | Downregulates NGF in ovaries | [74–76] |
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(b) Serum IgE: contradictory findings |
| Disease | Model | Reported effect | Reference |
| Allergic rhinitis | Human | No significant decrease | [60] | Allergic rhinitis | Human | No significant decrease | [89] | Allergic rhinitis | Human | No significant decrease | [90] | Allergic rhinitis | Human | Significant decrease | [91] |
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(c) Eosinophils: contradictory findings |
| Disease | Model | Reported effect | Reference |
| Allergic rhinitis | Human | No significant difference in nasal or blood eosinophils | [90] | Allergic rhinitis | Human | No significant difference in blood eosinophils | [92] | Allergic rhinitis | Human | Significant decrease in blood eosinophils and percentage of nasal eosinophils | [91] |
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