LETTERS

Anti-inflammatory effect of electroacupuncture in the C3H/HeJ mouse model of alopecia areata Accumulating experimental evidence has indicated that electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation may enhance immune function in several animal models of inflammatory diseases.1 2 However, there are few clinical data on EA stimulation for autoimmune diseases and the mechanisms under-lying the therapeutic effect of EA stimulation for autoimmune diseases remain unclear. Mast cells are the central players in allergic inflammation, and it has recently been reported that mast cells are involved in autoimmune diseases and chronic inflammation.3 4 Significant increases in mast cell degranulation were observed in these autoimmune diseases. Furthermore, severe mast cell degranulation and the accumulation of inflammatory cells around the anagen (growth phase) hair follicles were observed in auto-immune diseases such as the mouse model for alopecia areata (AA).5 This self-attack of the hair follicle cells by inflammatory cells changes the hair matrix cell phase to the telogen phase and results in hair loss.6 A previous Figure 1 Giemsa staining of the dermis around the hair follicle in C3H/HeJ mice. (A) Giemsa staining of the dermis in mice with underdeveloped alopecia areata (AA) (0 day). (B) (a,b) No electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation control group. Extensive degranulation of mast cells around the hair follicle was observed in mice that spontaneously developed AA (a, 14 days; b, 28 days). (c,d) EA stimulation group. Before EA stimulation (c), Giemsa staining of the dermis in mice that spontaneously developed AA (14 days). After 14 days of EA stimulation (28 days, d), degranulation of mast cells around the hair follicle cells was reduced significantly in the dermis of mice in which AA developed spontaneously. Scale bar: 50 mm