The role of acupuncture in the dendritic cell vaccine against Alzheimer's disease.

BackgroundAcupuncture, with its extensive historical application and therapeutic effects, may serve as a viable method to modulate immune responses associated with Alzheimer's disease immunotherapy.ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of stimulating the ST36 acupoint before vaccine injection in C57BL/6J mice and to determine how acupuncture influences immune responses and its potential immunomodulatory effects associated with a dendritic-cell-based amyloid-β (Aβ) vaccine.MethodsFlow cytometry for immune cell profiling, antibody levels, immunoglobulin isotyping, cytokine expression profiling, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry were performed to evaluate immunological and neuroimmune responses.ResultsAcupuncture modulated antibody production, influenced Th1/Th2 immune responses, and may influence BDNF/TrkB-associated neurotrophic signaling following vaccination.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that acupuncture may modulate immune and neurotrophic signaling responses associated with dendritic-cell-based Aβ vaccination.