Moxibustion inhibits inflammation in monosodium urate crystal-induced gouty arthritis model rats through metabolomic regulation
Xie Y, Chen Y, Qin T, Li J, Chang Z, Li Y, Zhang J, Liu M, Wang J, Ren R, Qian Z, Liu J, Chen M · Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences · 2025 March 03
DOI 10.3389/fmolb.2025.1433912
Objective
To investigate the mechanism by which moxibustion improves monosodium urate-induced gouty arthritis in rats using metabolomics and traditional Chinese medicine theory.
Conclusions
Moxibustion can widely regulate metabolism in gouty arthritis model rats and inhibit inflammation by reducing ankle edema, proinflammatory gene expression, and serum interleukin-18 and interleukin-1 beta levels, while restoring glycerol phospholipid, niacin, and nicotinamide metabolism.
Critical Appraisal
Published research can offer valuable insights, but a paper’s conclusions may go beyond what its results support. Critical appraisal examines the methods, findings and limitations to clarify what can reasonably be concluded—and what remains uncertain.
This article has not yet been critically appraised by the Research Hub.
Learn more about Critical Appraisal
Insights
Moxibustion reduced gout-like joint inflammation in rats by restoring disrupted lipid and vitamin-related metabolic pathways.
Rats received heat therapy using dried mugwort at two traditional acupuncture points before gout-like arthritis was induced through joint exposure to monosodium urate crystals. Researchers collected joint lining tissue and blood serum, then assessed tissue changes, inflammatory gene activity, inflammatory proteins, and metabolic alterations using laboratory assays and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry.
Moxibustion reduced ankle swelling and suppressed inflammatory gene expression and circulating inflammatory proteins. It also corrected disturbances in glycerol phospholipid metabolism and pathways involving niacin and nicotinamide, suggesting that metabolic regulation may contribute to its anti-inflammatory effects.
