Biosensing acupuncture needles reveal site-specific cytokine dynamics in Parkinson’s disease models

Abstract

Acupuncture is increasingly recognized as a neuromodulatory intervention with anti-inflammatory potential, yet its molecular mechanisms, particularly in neurodegenerative contexts, remain poorly defined. Here, we bridge traditional practice and modern biosensing by integrating CRISPR/Cas12a-based fluorescent immunosensors directly onto classical Chinese acupuncture (CA) needles to enable in vivo acupoint-resolved monitoring of interstitial cytokines in a Parkinson’s disease (PD) rat model. These CA needle-integrated biosensors selectively detect IL-6 and TNF-α with high specificity and linear response across physiologically relevant concentrations. In vivo measurements reveal that acupuncture is associated with spatiotemporally distinct local cytokine dynamics: early intervention (day 7) significantly suppresses IL-6 at GV20 (Baihui), GV14 (Dazhui), and ST36 (Zusanli), and TNF-α at ST36; delayed intervention (day 21) shows diminished systemic effects but retains localized suppression at ST36. Critically, these cytokine dynamics correlate with behavioral outcomes and early acupuncture yields superior motor improvement, suggesting a correlation between acupoint-resolved cytokine profiles and motor behavioral outcomes. This work establishes acupoint-resolved cytokine biosensing as a novel mechanistic tool to decode acupuncture’s anti-neuroinflammatory effects, providing a platform for exploratory, spatially resolved investigation of tissue cytokine dynamics during acupuncture.