Effects of transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation on the imbalance of Th1, Th2, Th17 and Treg cells following thoracotomy of patients with lung cancer

Huaxing Wu; Kun Wang; Guixian Li; Dexin Meng; Jiacheng Han; Guonian Wang; Y U Li

doi:10.3892/etm.2015.2913

Effects of transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation on the imbalance of Th₁, Th₂, Th₁₇ and T_reg cells following thoracotomy of patients with lung cancer

Exp Ther Med. 2016 Feb;11(2):495-502. doi: 10.3892/etm.2015.2913. Epub 2015 Dec 4.

Authors

Huaxing Wu¹, Kun Wang², Guixian Li³, Dexin Meng⁴, Jiacheng Han⁴, Guonian Wang², Y U Li⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150080, P.R. China; Department of Clinical Oncology, Cancer Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150081, P.R. China.
² Department of Anesthesiology, Cancer Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150081, P.R. China.
³ Department of Mechanical Design and Theory, School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150001, P.R. China.
⁴ Department of Clinical Oncology, Cancer Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150081, P.R. China.
⁵ School of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150080, P.R. China.

Abstract

An imbalance in the various T lymphocytes, including T-helper (Th)₁, Th₂ and Th₁₇ cells, and regulatory T (T_reg) cells, has been associated with immune dysfunction, and may occur following thoracotomy of patients with lung cancer. The use of transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation (TAES) has previously been demonstrated to exert immunoregulatory effects; therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate whether TAES was able to attenuate postoperative immune suppression in patients with lung cancer. Thoracic surgical patients with lung cancer (n=27) underwent TAES (frequency, 2/100 Hz; intensity, 4-12 mA) at the bilateral large intestine 4, pericardium 6, small intestine 3 and San Jiao 6 acupuncture points for 30 min, prior to incision, and at 20, 44, 68, 92 and 116 h following thoracotomy. The number of Th₁, Th₂, Th₁₇ and T_reg cells, and the protein and mRNA expression levels of related cytokines were measured by flow cytometry, ELISA and polymerase chain reaction, respectively. The balance of Th₁, Th₂, Th₁₇ and T_reg cells in the peripheral blood of patients with lung cancer was disrupted following thoracotomy. TAES administration increased the percentage of Th₁ and Th₁₇ cells, the protein expression levels of interleukin (IL)-2 and interferon-γ, the mRNA expression levels of T-bet and RAR-related orphan receptor-γt, and decreased the percentage of Th₂ cells, IL-10 protein expression levels, and GATA binding protein 3 mRNA expression levels. The results of the present study demonstrated that TAES was able to partially attenuate the postoperative immune depression of patients with lung cancer, by regulating the balance of Th₁, Th₂, Th₁₇ and T_reg cells, and the expression levels of related cytokines and transcription factors; therefore, TAES may be considered to be a promising strategy for treating postoperative immune dysfunction in patients with lung cancer.

Keywords: T-helper; immunity; lung cancer; regulatory T cells; transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation.