Assessment of anti-inflammatory efficacy of acupuncture in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: Inflammation has a significant role in the onset and progression of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Increasing attention has been paid to the use of acupuncture in IBD patients; however, its regulatory effects on inflammatory factors in IBD still require validation. Here, we systematically evaluated the effects of acupuncture on inflammatory factors in IBD patients. Methods: Eight electronic databases were searched for studies that met the inclusion criteria. After evaluating the quality of the studies selected by two reviewers, the meta-analysis was performed to assess the efficacy of acupuncture in IBD patients and the impact on inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-1, IL-8 and IL-10). Results: Four randomized controlled trials with a total of 228 patients satisfied the inclusion criteria. Acupuncture has a positive therapeutic impact on IBD (MD = 1.22, 95% CI [1.07, 1.39], P = 0.003). Moreover, it regulates the levels of TNF-α (MD =−60.58, 95% CI [−100.30, −20.89], P = 0.003), IL-8 (MD =−56.40, 95% CI [−60.02, −52.14], P < 0.00001) and IL-10 (MD =35.96, 95% CI [11.02, 60.91], P = 0.005) in IBD patients. However, the P value of meta-analysis in IL-1 great than 0.05.(MD =−27.90, 95% CI [−97.82, 42.02], P = 0.11). Conclusion: Acupuncture has a positive therapeutic impact on IBD and can effectively regulate inflammatory factors in IBD patients. TNF-α, IL-8 and IL-10 are more appropriate inflammatory indicators for clinically evaluating the anti-inflammatory response in the blood of IBD patients by acupuncture.

Keywords

• Acupuncture
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Systematic review
• Meta-analysis