Acupuncture Ameliorates Postoperative Ileus via IL-6-miR-19a-KIT Axis to Protect Interstitial Cells of Cajal.

Acupuncture Ameliorates Postoperative Ileus via IL-6-miR-19a-KIT Axis to Protect Interstitial Cells of Cajal. Am J Chin Med. 2017 May 24;:1-19 Authors: Deng J, Yang S, Yuan Q, Chen Y, Li D, Sun H, Tan X, Zhang F, Zhou D Abstract Acupuncture is a therapy effective in treating postoperative ileus (POI); its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) participate in inflammation and injury to the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs), both of which are considered to be contributors to POI. C-kit, encoding KIT, a specific marker of ICCs, is predicted to be targeted by miR-19a, an inflammation-related miRNA. Therefore, we investigated a possible link between inflammation, miR-19a, and ICCs in POI, as well as the mechanism by which these factors are affected by acupuncture. The effects of acupuncture on POI were assessed in patients after colorectal resection and in colocolic anastomosis mice. Immunofluorescence staining demonstrated that KIT[Formula: see text]/ano1[Formula: see text] ICCs dramatically decreased around the colonic incision in mice, which was negatively correlated with the pronounced increase in macrophage. However, this decrease was not due to apoptosis. IL-6R was expressed in ICCs, and IL-6 level was significantly increased, as measured by ELISA, in accompaniment with high miR-19a expression. The increase in IL-6 and miR-19a levels was negatively correlated with the decrease in KIT[Formula: see text]/ano1[Formul...
Source: The American Journal of Chinese Medicine - Category: Complementary Medicine Authors: Tags: Am J Chin Med Source Type: research