Acupuncture’s Regulatory Role in Glial Cells and Their Interactions for Antidepressant Effects: A Review of Research Progress

Cao J, Yang L, Ding D, Zhang X, Ding N, Ding F, Bian Q, Chen J · Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare · 2026 February

DOI 10.2147/JMDH.S581593

Objective

To investigate how acupuncture influences glial cell networks and the mechanisms underlying its antidepressant effects in depression.

Conclusions

This review concludes that acupuncture may alleviate depression by modulating microglial polarization and inflammatory signaling, supporting astrocyte-mediated metabolic homeostasis, promoting oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelin repair, and regulating interactions among these glial cell types.

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Insights

Acupuncture may relieve depression by restoring supportive brain cell networks that regulate inflammation, metabolism, and nerve insulation.

This review synthesised clinical evidence for acupuncture in depression alongside recent mechanistic studies examining its effects on brain support cells. It considered immune-like brain cells and inflammatory signalling, star-shaped support cells involved in metabolic balance, nerve-insulating cell maturation and repair, and communication among these cell types. The reviewed evidence suggests that acupuncture may shift immune-like brain cells away from inflammatory activity, support metabolic functions of star-shaped support cells, and promote repair of nerve insulation through effects on oligodendrocytes. Together, these changes may help explain how acupuncture influences depressive symptoms by improving coordination within the brain’s supportive cellular network.