Objective： To observe the effect of acupuncture-moxibustion on the expression of insulin-like growth factor-I （IGF-I） and suppressor of cytokine signaling-2 （SOCS2） in colonic mucosa of rat models of ulcerative colitis （UC）, and explore the mechanism of acupuncture- moxibustion therapy in treating UC. Methods： The rats were randomized into a normal control （NC） group, a model control （MC） group, an herb-partitioned moxibustion （HPM） group and an electroacupuncture （EA） group, 8 in each group. The rat models of UC were established by immunological methods combined with local stimulation. The rats in the HPM and EA groups were given herb-partitioned moxibustion and electroacupuncture treatments respectively, once every day, lasting for 14 d. The morphological variations of rat＇s colonic mucosa were observed under light microscope; the colonic mucosal mucin was detected by PAS-AB and HID-AB staining methods; the expression of IGF-1 and SOCS2 was assayed by the immunohistochemical method. Results： In the rat models of UC, ulceration and inflammation of the colon were revealed by light microscope. The concentration of colonic mucosal mucin was reduced （P〈0.01）, while the expression of IGF-1 had an increase （P〈0.01）, and the expression of SOCS2 was reduced （P〈0.01）. After HPM or EA treatment, the pathological injuries of colonic mucosa had improved, the concentration of mucin increased （P〈0.01）, the expression of IGF-1 decreased （P〈0.01）, and the expression of SOCS2 increased （P〈0.01）. Conclusion： The secretion of mucosal mucin in rat UC decreased, the expression of IGF-1 was significantly higher, while the expression of SOCS2 was remarkably lower; both HPM and EA can help improve the damage of colonic mucosa in rat UC, and modulate the secretion of mucin, as well as regulate the expression of IGF-1 and SOCS2 in the colonic mucosa.
