The Regulatory Effect and Mechanism of Moxibustion at Shenque (CV 8) on Spleen Immunity in Rats with Long-Term Exercise-Induced Fatigue

Objective: By observing the effect of moxibustion at Shenque (CV 8) on spleen immune function in rats with long-term exercise-induced fatigue, we explored the mechanism of relieving exercise-induced fatigue. Materials and Methods: The male rats were divided into five groups: normal group (no intervention), control group (moxibustion at CV 8), untreated group (treadmill training), tail group (moxibustion at nonacupoint after treadmill training), and CV 8 group (moxibustion at CV 8 after treadmill training). We observed the general behavior of the rats, measured the levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-18, IL-6, interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor- α , and IL-10 in serum, and examined CD3 + , CD4 + , CD8 + , nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) p65, NLRP3, caspase-1, IL-18, and IL-1β in spleen tissue. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to observe the spleen. Results: After 8 weeks of training, the results in the normal group and CV 8 group were significantly better than those in the untreated and tail groups. In the untreated group and tail group, body weight, spleen mass, spleen index, and serum IL-10 concentrations decreased significantly ( P ˂ 0.05 or P ˂ 0.01), whereas high expression was observed in other parts of the serum and spleen tissue ( P ˂ 0.01). The spleen corpuscle in the white pulp was reduced and necrotic without obvious germinal centers. Conclusions: Moxibustion at CV 8 could inhibit the NF-κB/NLRP3/caspase-1 inflammatory pathway to improve immunity and relieve exercise-induced fatigue.