Objective: To study the mechanism of acupuncture and moxibustion in adjusting apoptosis of colonic epithelial cells of the rat of ulcerative colitis (UC).
Methods: UC rats were randomly divided into four groups including normal control group (NC), model control group (MC), herbs-partitioned moxibustion group (HPM) and electroacupuncture group (EA). The HPM and EA groups were respectively treated with herbs-partitioned moxibustion and electroacupuncture at "Qihai" (CV 6) and bilateral "Tianshu" (ST 25). Then the colon of the rat was taken and the changes of the tissue structure and the cell apoptosis were observed by electron microscope and flow cytometer respectively.
Results: The colon tissue showed histopathological changes, and apoptosis of epithelial cells increased in the model mice of UC as compared with the normal rat. Electroacupuncture and drug-separated moxibustion could significantly decrease the abnormal apoptosis of epithelial cells.
Conclusion: The adjustment of the abnormal apoptosis of epithelial cells is one of the mechanisms of drug-separated moxibustion and electroacupuncture treating UC.