Moxibustion Effect on TNF-α and TGF-β_1 Contents in Intestinal Mucosa with Crohn's Disease Rats

Objective:To explore the regulatory mechanisms of moxibustion on the intestinal fibrosis in crohn's disease(CD).Methods: Totally 60 SD rats were randomly divided into model control(MC) group,herbs-partition moxibustion(HPM) group,mild-warm moxibustion(MWM) group,salicylazosulfapyridine(SASP) group and normal control(NC) group.The rat models of CD were induced by trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid(TNBs).The HPM and MWM groups were treated by moxibustion at Tianshu(ST25) and Qihai(RN6),and the SASP group was fed with SASP solution.The intestinal morphology and TNF-α,TGF-β_1 contents were observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.Results: Compared with the NC group,the contents of TNF-α and TGF-β_1 in intestinal mucosa were remarkably increased,and the typical inflammation and fibrosis of CD intestines observed in the MC group.The HPM,MWM and SASP groups were significantly decreased the contents of TNF-α and TGF-β_1,and the morphological changes in CD intestines improved in different degree,but the effects of HPM and MWM groups were better than those of SASP group.Conclusion: It has shown that moxibustion therapy can reduce intestinal inflammation and fibrosis in CD,which may be due to down-regulating TNF-α and TGF-β_1 in intestinal mucosa and improving intestinal morphology.