Does acupuncture therapy affect peripheral inflammatory cytokines of major depressive disorder? A protocol for the systematic review and meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Acupuncture is widely used as adjuvant therapy for major depressive disorder (MDD). There is robust evidence that inflammation is closely associated with MDD. To date, only a few numbers of studies have investigated the potential relationship between acupuncture and the change of inflammatory biomarkers in patients with MDD. Additionally, the results are inconsistent among studies. The current study aims to provide a comprehensive, systematic review of the association between acupuncture and changes in peripheral inflammation of patients with MDD, and clarify the alterations of inflammatory cytokines before and after acupuncture treatment by meta-analysis.

Methods and analysis

This study will be conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for System

SUBMITTER: Zhao YN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9685430 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature