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Objective <p>To investigate the effects of moxibustion, filiform needle acupuncture, and electroacupuncture on synovial hypoxia and expression of synovial fibrosis markers [transforming growth factor (TGF)-β and collagen alpha-1 (I) chain (COL1A1)] in knee osteoarthritis (KOA) rats.</p> Methods <p>Fifty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, a moxibustion group, an acupuncture group, and an electroacupuncture group, with 10 rats in each group. Except for the normal group, rats in the other four groups were injected with sodium iodoacetate into the right knee joint cavity to establish KOA models. The right Futu (ST32) and Zusanli (ST36) were selected in the moxibustion, acupuncture, and electroacupuncture groups to perform the mild moxibustion with moxa sticks, filiform needle acupuncture, or electroacupuncture, respectively. Each intervention lasted 15 min, once every other day, and continued for 4 weeks with a total of 14 interventions. The Lequesne score was used to evaluate knee dysfunction degree before and after intervention, and the rat’s right knee joint diameter was measured to evaluate the knee swelling degree. Morphological changes of the right knee joint synovial tissue were observed using hematoxylin-esoin staining. Hypoxia probe immunofluorescence staining was used to observe the synovial hypoxia degree in rats. Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression levels of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α, TGF-β, and COL1A1 in the synovial tissue of the right knee joints.</p> Results <p>Before intervention, the Lequesne score and the right knee joint diameter in the other four groups increased significantly compared to the normal group (<i>P</i>&lt;0.01). After intervention, the Lequesne score and the right knee joint diameter increased significantly in the model group compared to the normal group (<i>P</i>&lt;0.01) together with worsened cartilage deformation and osteophytes, inflammatory cell infiltration and fibrosis in synovial tissue, and hypoxia degree, and the expression levels of HIF-1α, TGF-β, and COL1A1 proteins in the knee joint synovial tissue of rats increased (<i>P</i>&lt;0.01). The Lequesne score and the right knee joint diameter decreased significantly (<i>P</i>&lt;0.01 or <i>P</i>&lt;0.05), the cartilage morphology was normal without obvious osteophytes, and the hypoxia degree reduced in the three intervention groups compared to the model group. Among them, the moxibustion group had the most notable improvement in hypoxia, synovial tissue fibrosis, angiogenesis, and inflammatory cells infiltration. The expression levels of HIF-1α, TGF-β, and COL1A1 proteins decreased in the moxibustion and electroacupuncture groups (<i>P</i>&lt;0.01), and the expression levels of HIF-1α and TGF-β proteins were decreased in the acupuncture group (<i>P</i>&lt;0.01).</p> Conclusion <p>Moxibustion, filiform needle acupuncture, and electroacupuncture improve knee joint dysfunction and reduce knee joint swelling in KOA rats. The mechanism may be to improve synovial fibrosis of knee joint by regulating HIF-1α; moxibustion has the best effect on improving hypoxia among the three interventions, but the effect of filiform needle acupuncture on COL1A1 is not significant.</p>

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Effects of different acupuncture and moxibustion methods on synovial hypoxia and fibrosis in knee osteoarthritis model rats

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年8月22日

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  • Lingling Qin,
  • Xiaoqin Zhang,
  • Qi Dong,
  • Mengting Shi,
  • Pingju Xue,
  • Haijiao Xing,
  • Jing Xu

摘要

Objective

To investigate the effects of moxibustion, filiform needle acupuncture, and electroacupuncture on synovial hypoxia and expression of synovial fibrosis markers [transforming growth factor (TGF)-β and collagen alpha-1 (I) chain (COL1A1)] in knee osteoarthritis (KOA) rats.

Methods

Fifty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, a moxibustion group, an acupuncture group, and an electroacupuncture group, with 10 rats in each group. Except for the normal group, rats in the other four groups were injected with sodium iodoacetate into the right knee joint cavity to establish KOA models. The right Futu (ST32) and Zusanli (ST36) were selected in the moxibustion, acupuncture, and electroacupuncture groups to perform the mild moxibustion with moxa sticks, filiform needle acupuncture, or electroacupuncture, respectively. Each intervention lasted 15 min, once every other day, and continued for 4 weeks with a total of 14 interventions. The Lequesne score was used to evaluate knee dysfunction degree before and after intervention, and the rat’s right knee joint diameter was measured to evaluate the knee swelling degree. Morphological changes of the right knee joint synovial tissue were observed using hematoxylin-esoin staining. Hypoxia probe immunofluorescence staining was used to observe the synovial hypoxia degree in rats. Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression levels of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α, TGF-β, and COL1A1 in the synovial tissue of the right knee joints.

Results

Before intervention, the Lequesne score and the right knee joint diameter in the other four groups increased significantly compared to the normal group (P<0.01). After intervention, the Lequesne score and the right knee joint diameter increased significantly in the model group compared to the normal group (P<0.01) together with worsened cartilage deformation and osteophytes, inflammatory cell infiltration and fibrosis in synovial tissue, and hypoxia degree, and the expression levels of HIF-1α, TGF-β, and COL1A1 proteins in the knee joint synovial tissue of rats increased (P<0.01). The Lequesne score and the right knee joint diameter decreased significantly (P<0.01 or P<0.05), the cartilage morphology was normal without obvious osteophytes, and the hypoxia degree reduced in the three intervention groups compared to the model group. Among them, the moxibustion group had the most notable improvement in hypoxia, synovial tissue fibrosis, angiogenesis, and inflammatory cells infiltration. The expression levels of HIF-1α, TGF-β, and COL1A1 proteins decreased in the moxibustion and electroacupuncture groups (P<0.01), and the expression levels of HIF-1α and TGF-β proteins were decreased in the acupuncture group (P<0.01).

Conclusion

Moxibustion, filiform needle acupuncture, and electroacupuncture improve knee joint dysfunction and reduce knee joint swelling in KOA rats. The mechanism may be to improve synovial fibrosis of knee joint by regulating HIF-1α; moxibustion has the best effect on improving hypoxia among the three interventions, but the effect of filiform needle acupuncture on COL1A1 is not significant.