Objective To observe the effect of warm needle moxibustion(WNM)on knee-joint swelling and expression of sirtuin 1(SIRT 1

a classⅢ histone/protein deacetylase)and nuclear factorκB(NF-κB)in synovial tissue in rats with rheumatoid arthritis(RA).Methods Fifty SD rats were randomly divided into five groups:normal control

model

SIRT 1-inhibitor

WNM

and SIRT 1-inhibitor plus WNM(inhibitor+WNM)

n=10 rats in each group.The RA model was established by subcutaneous injection of bovine type Ⅱ collagen at the sole

once daily for 21 days.The WNM was applied to bilateral"Zusanli"(ST 36)

"Shenshu"(BL 23)and"Xuanzhong"(GB 39)for 15 min

once daily for 21 days

beginning on the 1 st day of modeling.For rats of SIRT 1-inhibitor group and inhibitor+WNM group

nicotinamide solution(10 mmol·kg-1·d-1)was injected intraperitoneally on the 1 st

7 th

14 th and 21 th days of modeling.The swelling volume of the affected knee-joint was measured by water drainage method.The contents of IL-1β

IL-6 and IL-8 in the serum were measured by radioimmunoassay.The expression of SIRT 1 and NF-κB p 65 proteins in the synovial tissue of knee-joint were detected by immunoblotting.Results After modeling

the knee-joint volume

serum IL-1β

IL-6 and IL-8 contents

and the expression of NF-κB p 65 protein in synovial tissue of knee-joint were considerably increased relevant to the normal control group(P<0.01)

while the expression of synovial SIRT 1 protein was significantly down-regulated(P<0.01).Following WNM intervention

the volume of the knee-joint

serum IL-1β

IL-6 and IL-8 contents and synovial NF-κB p 65 expression were significantly decreased relevant to the model group(P<0.05)

and the downregulated expression of SIRT 1 protein was notably suppressed(P<0.05).No significant difference was found between the WNM and inhibitor+WNM groups in the knee-joint swelling degree(P>0.05).The contents of serum IL-1β

IL-6 and IL-8

and the expression of synovial NF-κB p 65 protein of the WNM group were significantly lower than those in the inhibitor+WNM group(P<0.05)

while the expression level of SIRT 1 protein was evidently higher than that in the inhibitor+WNM group(P<0.05)

suggesting the effects of WNM in down-regulating serum inflammatory cytokines and NF-κB p 65 expression

and in up-regulating SIRT 1 expression after administration of SIRT 1 inhibitor.Conclusion Warm needle moxibustion can relieve inflammatory reactions of RA rats

which may be associated to its effect in modulating SIRT 1/NF-κB p 65 signaling in the synovial tissue.