American Journal of Reproductive Immunology
Volume 93, Issue 5 e70082
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Zheng Luo, Zheng Luo Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Nanjing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Affiliated to Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Search for more papers by this author Xinru Lu Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Nanjing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Affiliated to Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Search for more papers by this author Tianyi Zhang Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Nanjing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Affiliated to Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Search for more papers by this author Shijie Shi Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Nanjing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Affiliated to Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Search for more papers by this author Rui Zhao Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Nanjing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Affiliated to Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Search for more papers by this author Yizhi He Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Nanjing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Affiliated to Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Search for more papers by this author Hanyue Yao Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Nanjing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Affiliated to Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Search for more papers by this author Weina Zhu Central Laboratory, Nanjing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Affiliated to Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Search for more papers by this author Corresponding Author Cairong Zhang Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Nanjing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Affiliated to Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Search for more papers by this author
Zheng Luo, Zheng Luo Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Nanjing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Affiliated to Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Search for more papers by this author Xinru Lu Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Nanjing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Affiliated to Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Search for more papers by this author Tianyi Zhang Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Nanjing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Affiliated to Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Search for more papers by this author Shijie Shi Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Nanjing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Affiliated to Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Search for more papers by this author Rui Zhao Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Nanjing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Affiliated to Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Search for more papers by this author Yizhi He Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Nanjing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Affiliated to Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Search for more papers by this author Hanyue Yao Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Nanjing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Affiliated to Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Search for more papers by this author Weina Zhu Central Laboratory, Nanjing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Affiliated to Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Search for more papers by this author Corresponding Author Cairong Zhang Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Nanjing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Affiliated to Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Search for more papers by this author
First published: 05 May 2025
Funding:This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BE2020624) and Ji Laixi National Famous Traditional Chinese Medicine Expert Inheritance Studio.
ABSTRACT
Problem
Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a significant cause of female infertility, severely impacting physical and mental health. Current treatments, primarily hormone replacement therapy, fail to restore ovarian function and may cause adverse effects. Moxibustion, a traditional Chinese medicine therapy, has shown potential in treating POI, but its mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigated the therapeutic effects of moxibustion on POI rats and explored its underlying mechanisms.
Method of Study
A POI rat model was established using cyclophosphamide, and moxibustion was applied daily to the CV4 and SP6 acupoints for 4 weeks. We analyzed hormone levels, estrous cycles, follicle count, and gut microbiota. Transcriptomic and metagenomic sequencing were performed to identify potential pathways. Network pharmacology was used to predict active components and targets.
Results
Moxibustion restored estrous cycles, improved hormonal imbalances, and increased ovarian reserve function. Network pharmacology identified five active components in moxa, and based on the results of network pharmacology and transcriptome sequencing, we believe that the regulation of the IL-17 pathway is the key mechanism. Further experiments showed moxibustion downregulated the Th17/IL-17 pathway, reduced key proteins such as IL-17R, NF-κB, MMP3, IκBα, IL-1β, MMP9, TRAF6, and Cox2. Flow cytometry confirmed a decrease in Th17 cell proportion. Gut microbiota analysis revealed that moxibustion enhanced microbial diversity and modulated specific bacterial species, which correlated with improved hormone levels.
Conclusion
Moxibustion has a therapeutic effect on POI rats by regulating the Th17/IL17 pathway and gut microbiota, which provides evidence for the clinical application of moxibustion.
Open Research
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
References
Volume93, Issue5
May 2025
e70082
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