Effect of scraping therapy on Th1/Th2 balance in rats with lumbar disc herniation

Objective To observe the effect of scraping therapy (ST) on the immune balance of serum helper T (Th) 1/Th2 cells in autologous nucleus pulposus transplantation non-compressive lumbar disc herniation (LDH) model rats, and explore the immune mechanism of ST in reducing LDH pain. Methods Seventy-two male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into a model group, a sham operation group and a ST group, with 24 rats in each group. Autologous nucleus pulposus transplantation non-compressive LDH models were established in the model group and ST group, while the rats in the sham operation group underwent sham operation without model establishment. On the fifth day after the model was successfully prepared, rats in the ST group received ST, once every other day, 3 times as a course for a total of 3 courses. Six rats in each group were randomly selected to observe their pain thresholds, and peripheral blood of the rats was collected before the first scraping treatment and at the end of the first, second, and third courses of treatment. The serum was isolated and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was applied for the detection of rat serum interferon (IFN)-gamma, interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-10. Results Compared with the model group, the pain threshold in LDH rats in the ST group increased (P0.05), the serum IFN-gamma level was significantly reduced (P0.05), but the levels of IL-4 and IL-10 did not change significantly (both P0.05). At the end of the second and third courses of treatment, the IFN-gamma/IL-4 ratio was negatively correlated with the pain threshold in the rats, and the IFN-gamma/IL-4 ratio was significantly reduced in the ST group (P0.01). Conclusion ST can help suppress the Th1 immunity in LDH rats triggered by the autologous nucleus pulposus, restore the immune balance of Th1/Th2, and reduce the pain of LDH.