IL1B and sexually transmitted disease: To verify the peripheral inflammatory level of VD rats and the effect of acupuncture on them, the serum cytokines (i.e., IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, TNF-α, and INF-γ) and other inflammatory mediators (i.e., COX-2 and iNOS) of each group were detected by ELISA (Figure 6).