Table 2. Studies of healthy and diseased populations denote relevant immunological mechanisms associated with wet cupping.
| Category | Author | Year | Cohorts | Immunomodulation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | Dons'koi (42) | 2016 | Health population | Decreased NK cell activity |
| No change in CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells | ||||
| Obohat (44) | 2020 | Health population | Decreased fasting blood glucose and uric acid | |
| No change in WBC, ESR, or ferritin | ||||
| Soleimani (52) | 2020 | Health population | Increased expression of transcription factors: GATA-3, RORγt, FOXP3 | |
| Decreased T-bet/GATA-3 (Th1/Th2) | ||||
| Disease | Ahmed (40) | 2005 | Rheumatoid arthritis | Increased NK cells and WBC |
| Decreased RF, ESR, CRP, and sIL-2R | ||||
| Decreased CRP (hs-CRP) | ||||
| Abdulaziz (41) | 2021 | Female chronic pelvic pain | Decreased CRP (hs-CRP) | |
| Obeid (43) | 2022 | Hashimoto’s thyroiditis | Decreased anti-TPO and anti-Tg | |
| Decreased ESR, prolactin, and TSH. No change in T4 | ||||
| El-Shanshory (53) | 2022 | Thalassemia | Increased CD4/CD8 ratio and TAC/MDA ratio | |
| Yin (54) | 2022 | Functional diarrhea | Increased CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and T17 helper lymphocytes | |
| Zhang (55) | 2006 | Bronchial asthma | Increased C3, C4, IgG, IgM, IgA, CD4+ T cells, CD4+/CD8+ ratio, IL-2, and IFN-γ | |
| Decreased IgE, IL-4, IL-10, and CD8+ T cells | ||||
| Sun (56) | 2016 | Acute scapulohumeral peri-arthritis | Decreased 5-HT and PGE2 | |
| El-Domyati (57) | 2013 | Dermatologic diseases | Increased C3 | |
| Decreased IgE and IL-2 | ||||
| Tian (58) | 2013 | Postherpetic neuralgia | Decreased P substance |
WBC, white blood cell; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; NK, natural killer; RF, rheumatoid factor; CRP, C-reactive protein; sIL-2R, soluble interleukin-2 receptor; hs-CRP, high-sensitivity CRP; TPO, thyroid peroxidase; Tg, thyroglobulin; TSH, thyroid-stimulating hormone; TAC/MDA, total antioxidant capacity/malondialdehyde; IFN, interferon; 5-HT, 5-hydroxy-tryptamine; PGE2, prostaglandin E2.