Objective: To systematically review the effects of moxibustion on serum cytokines in experimental animals with rheumatoid arthritis.
Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang Data, and CBM were searched for animal experiments on moxibustion intervention for rheumatoid arthritis. Related data were extracted, and RevMan 5.3 was used to perform a meta-analysis of outcome measures, including serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), interleukin-17 (IL-17), interleukin-2 (IL-2), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANKL), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), and degree of swelling of diseased joint.
Results: A total of 18 studies were included. The detection methods included radioimmunoassay and ELISA and the experimental animal species included rats and rabbits. The studies on serum TNF-α and degree of swelling of diseased joint had publication bias. Meta-analysis showed that the moxibustion group had significant reductions in the serum levels of TNF-α, IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, VEGF, IL-17, and RANKL, significant increases in the serum levels of TGF-β and IFN-γ, and a significant reduction in the degree of swelling of diseased joints in model animals.
Conclusion: Moxibustion can effectively regulate levels of the serum cytokines in experimental animals of rheumatoid arthritis and thus reduce inflammatory response and alleviate the swelling of diseased joints.
目的：系统评价艾灸对类风湿关节炎模型动物血清细胞因子的干预作用。方法： 检索PubMed、Embase、Web of Science、The Cochrane Library、OVID、中国知网、维普、万方和CBM数据库，筛选艾灸干预类风湿关节炎的动物实验研究，提取资料并采用RevMan 5.3软件对结局指标包括血清肿瘤坏死因子(TNF-α)、白细胞介素1(IL-1)、白细胞介素6(IL-6)、血管内皮生长因子(VEGF)、白细胞介素17(IL-17)、白细胞介素2(IL-2)、γ-干扰素(IFN-γ)、核因子κB受体活化因子配体(RANKL)和转化生长因子β(TGF-β)及病变关节肿胀度进行Meta分析。结果：共纳入18篇研究，检测方法包括放射免疫法和ELISA法，实验动物种属包括大鼠和兔，有关血清TNF-α和病变关节肿胀度的研究存在发表偏倚。Meta分析结果显示，艾灸组可降低模型动物血清TNF-α、IL-1、IL-2、IL-6、VEGF、IL-17、RANKL，可升高模型动物血清TGF-β、IFN-γ，降低病变关节肿胀度。结论：艾灸能有效调节类风湿关节炎模型动物血清TNF-α、IL-1、IL-2、IL-6含量，从而减轻炎性反应，缓解病变关节肿胀。.
Keywords: Animal experiment; Meta-analysis; Moxibustion; Rheumatoid arthritis; Systematic review.