ZHANG Di, XU Mingshu, ZHANG Yingjie, GE Linbao, CHEN Chunyan

(1 Shanghai Research institute of Acupuncture and Meridian，Shanghai 200030; 2 Shanghai Qigong Research institute, Shanghai 200030; 3 Shanghai Research Center of Acupuncture and Meridian, Shanghai 201203）

Abstract:  The article talks about the methods to establish the model of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and to observe  the  effect  of  acupuncture  on  adjusting  the  level  of  tumor  necrosis  factor-⍺  (TNF-⍺)  and  matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMPs-3).   The cytokines about KOA can be devided into two types,one is damaging cytokines,the another is protectingcytokines. TNF-⍺and   MMPs-3 are belong to damaging cytokines.The acupuncture and moxibustion,as the traditional external therapies of TCM, in the treatment of KOA have the advantages of reducing the quantity of the damaging cytokines and increasing the quantity of the protecting cytokines．

Key  words:acupuncture,knee  osteoarthritis,model  of  knee  osteoarthritis,tumor  necrosis  factor-α,matrix metalloproteinase-3