Effect of Kechuanting Acupoint Sticking Therapy On Asthma Control And Serum Metabolite Characteristics In Asthma Patients Treated With Long-Term Inhaled Corticosteroid-Formoterol

Background: Despite the availability of inhaled corticosteroid-formoterol treatment, asthma in some patients is poorly controlled. Kechuanting acupoint sticking therapy may regulate immunological functions to improve asthma. In this study, we focused on the effect of Kechuanting acupoint sticking therapy on disease control and the characteristics of serum metabolites in asthma patients treated with long-term inhaled corticosteroid-formoterol. Methods: We enrolled healthy controls (n=30) and asthma patients treated with inhaled corticosteroid-formoterol for at least 6 months (n=30) and evaluated asthma control, lung function, and airway inflammation after treatment with Kechuanting acupoint sticking therapy (in asthma patients at baseline and week 6). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to analyze the serum samples of the two groups. Results: Asthma control test scores, forced expiratory volume in one second, and peak expiratory flow increased (P<0.01) at week 6 in the inhaled corticosteroid-formoterol+ Kechuanting acupoint sticking therapy group, while the level of fractional exhaled nitric oxide did not change significantly (P=0.359). Among the 46 significant metabolites in the asthma patients and healthy controls (at baseline), 12 were restored after 6 weeks of inhaled corticosteroid-formoterol+ Kechuanting acupoint sticking therapy treatment and 8 (e.g., glycine, sucrose, and glycerol) were correlated with the clinical characteristics. Conclusions: Kechuanting acupoint sticking therapy improved asthma control in patients treated with long-term inhaled corticosteroid-formoterol, and the serum metabolomic pathway analysis demonstrated the association of Kechuanting acupoint sticking therapy with carbohydrate, glycerolipid, and amino acid metabolism.Trial registration: https://www.chictr.org.cn, ChiCTR1800016644.