Single-cell RNA-sequencing landscape of epithelial and immune regulatory networks in acupuncture treatment for asthma

While the efficacy of acupuncture in treating asthma is well-established, the precise mechanism by which this traditional Chinese medicine-based therapy modulates this heterogeneous disease has remained elusive. Given the complex pathophysiology of asthma, understanding how acupuncture consistently influences distinct signaling pathways and specific cell types could pave the way for innovative approaches to asthma treatment. Single-cell RNA sequencing analysis was performed to investigate the potential therapeutic mechanism of acupuncture in a mouse model of HDM-induced allergic asthma. Lung cells were collected from four groups of mice, including a control group, an HDM-induced group, and two groups induced by HDM followed by acupuncture therapy at acupoints ST36 and BL13, respectively. The strategy of single-cell profiling and impartial subtype categorization, combined with subsequent profiling and the analysis of functional pathways in prospectively isolated subsets, enabled us to pinpoint potential therapeutic targets for asthma and elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of immune cells and epithelial cells.

尽管针灸治疗哮喘的疗效已得到广泛证实，但这种基于中医的疗法如何调控这一异质性疾病的确切机制仍不明朗。鉴于哮喘复杂的病理生理学机制，明确针灸如何持续调控不同信号通路与特定细胞类型，有望为哮喘治疗开辟创新路径。本研究采用单细胞RNA测序（single-cell RNA sequencing）分析，探究针灸在屋尘螨（HDM）诱导的过敏性哮喘小鼠模型中的潜在治疗机制。本研究采集了四组小鼠的肺组织细胞，分别为空白对照组、HDM诱导哮喘模型组，以及两组经HDM造模后分别施以足三里（ST36）、肺俞（BL13）穴位针灸干预的实验组。通过单细胞分型与无偏亚型分类策略，结合后续对前瞻性分离的细胞亚群的表达谱分析与功能通路解析，本研究成功定位了哮喘潜在治疗靶点，并阐明了免疫细胞与上皮细胞的调控机制。