Healthy participants / Immunomodulatory Effects of Acupuncture
Conditions
Interventions
Group 1: Standardized acupuncture treatment conducted in healthy participants.
Five sessions of 20 minutes each executed on five consecutive days.
Sponsors
Universitätsmedizin Mannheim, Chirurgische Klinik
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: - Healthy participants without known acute or chronic conditions - Normal complete blood count and unremarkable clinical examination - Body Mass Index (BMI) between 18.5 and 29.9 kg/m² - Signed informed consent
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: - Acute or chronic inflammatory, infectious, or autoimmune conditions - Current or regular use of medications that affect the immune system, inflammatory response, or endocrine system (e.g., corticosteroids, NSAIDs, antidepressants) - Pregnancy or breastfeeding - Chronic pain syndromes or psychiatric disorders - Known allergies to acupuncture needles or metals, adhesives, or disinfectants - Acupuncture treatment within 3 months prior to inclusion in the study - Alcohol or substance use disorder - Participation in another clinical trial within the past 3 months - Refusal of blood sampling or inadequate venous access - Language barrier
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Investigating the influence of standardized acupuncture treatment on: - Cytokine concentrations in blood plasma - Cytokine concentrations in ex vivo–stimulated blood leukocytes - Plasma concentrations of cortisol and BMP9 Blood samples for cytokine analysis are collected prior acupuncture treatment on days 1, 2, 4, 5 and 10 Cytokine analyses are performed using electrochemiluminescence detection in a 10-plex (U-Plex format) assay on a MESO QuickPlex SQ 120MM system (Meso Scale Diagnostics). Analysis of cortisol and BMP9 concentrations in blood plasma is performed using ELISA. | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Investigating the influence of standardized acupuncture treatment on psychatric and physiologic outcome measures using following questionnaires and scales: - Numeric Stress Rating Scale (Stress-NRS): Every visit - Body Self-Efficacy-Scale (BSE; Koch, 2012): Day 1, 5 and 10 - Heidelberg State Inventory (HSI-24): Day 1, 5 and 10 - WHO-5 Well-Being Index (Version 1998): Day 1 and 10 - Somatic Symptom Scale-8 (SSC-8): Day 1 and 10 - Perceived Stress Questionaire (PSQ-20): Day 1 and 10 - Ggf: Credibility Expectancy Questionnaire (CEQ, German version: Raeke, 2013): Day 1 | — |
Countries
Germany
Contacts
Public ContactErfan Ghanad
Universitätsmedizin Mannheim, Chirurgische Klinik
Outcome results
None listed