Acupuncture altered levels of substance P, VIP, and neurokinins in the lungs of asthmatic rats, partially reversing the neuropeptide imbalance seen in airway inflammation.
4 neuropeptides altered in asthmatic lungsSubstance P, VIP, neurokinin A, and neurokinin B all showed significant changes in asthmatic rat lungs — and acupuncture partially normalized these peptide levels.
What the researchers found
In a rat model of bronchial asthma, acupuncture altered the levels of several neuropeptides in lung tissue. Asthmatic rats showed decreased vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and cAMP/cGMP ratios alongside increased substance P (SP), neurokinin A (NKA), and neurokinin B (NKB). Acupuncture treatment partially reversed these changes — increasing cAMP/cGMP while decreasing NKA, NKB, and SP — and improved lung tissue pathology.
When the adrenal glands were removed before acupuncture, the peptide-level improvements were blunted, suggesting that acupuncture's effects on airway neuropeptides depend partly on intact adrenal (glucocorticoid) function.
Why it matters
This study provides mechanistic evidence that neuropeptides like substance P, VIP, and the neurokinins are actively involved in the airway inflammation of asthma — and that their levels can be modulated by external stimulation. Understanding how these peptides contribute to bronchoconstriction and inflammation could inform future peptide-based approaches to respiratory disease.
The numbers in context
n=50 rats · 5 groups of 10 · Peptides measured: SP, VIP, NKA, NKB · cAMP/cGMP ratio assessed · 5 acupoints stimulated
How the study worked
Fifty male Wistar rats were divided into 5 groups: normal control, asthma model, asthma + acupuncture, adrenalectomy + asthma, and adrenalectomy + asthma + acupuncture. Asthma was induced with ovalbumin. Acupuncture was applied at five specific points. Lung tissue was examined with HE staining and immunohistochemistry for SP, VIP, NKA, and NKB. cAMP/cGMP was measured by ELISA.
Who was studied
Male Wistar rats with ovalbumin-induced bronchial asthma
What this study cannot tell us
This is an animal study in rats, which may not translate to human asthma. The sample size is small (10 per group). The acupuncture methodology is difficult to blind or standardize, and the study was open-label. No dose-response or time-course data were reported for the peptide changes.
How to read the evidence
This is a small animal study (50 rats) using an ovalbumin asthma model. While it provides mechanistic insights about neuropeptides in airway disease, animal studies are low on the evidence hierarchy and results may not translate to humans.
When this study was published
Published in 2020. The neuropeptide findings about substance P and VIP in asthma remain relevant to ongoing research in neurogenic airway inflammation.
The bigger picture
Substance P, VIP, and the neurokinins are increasingly recognized as key players in airway inflammation beyond their roles in pain and digestion. This study adds to evidence that neuropeptide imbalances contribute to asthma pathology and can be modulated, which could eventually inform peptide-based respiratory therapies.
Questions still open
- Would targeting substance P or neurokinin receptors directly have stronger anti-asthma effects than acupuncture?
- Do similar neuropeptide changes occur in human asthma lungs, and could they serve as biomarkers?
- Could VIP supplementation or analogs be therapeutic for airway inflammation?
Common questions
What neuropeptides are involved in asthma?
Can acupuncture change peptide levels in the lungs?
Read the original research
Influence of acupuncture on the expression of VIP, SP, NKA and NKB, cAMP/cGMP and HE content and treatment of bronchial asthma in rats.
Cellular and molecular biology (Noisy-le-Grand, France), 66(5), 29-35
Citation
Chen, Yujuan; Gao, Yanlu; Lu, Wenwen; Gao, Wei. (2020). Influence of acupuncture on the expression of VIP, SP, NKA and NKB, cAMP/cGMP and HE content and treatment of bronchial asthma in rats.. Cellular and molecular biology (Noisy-le-Grand, France), 66(5), 29-35.