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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Mol. Biosci.
Sec. Metabolomics
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2025.1433912

Moxibustion Inhibits Inflammation in Monosodium Urate Crystal-induced Gouty Arthritis Model Rats through Metabolomic Regulation

Provisionally accepted
Yufeng Xie Yufeng Xie 1,2Yun Chen Yun Chen 2Ting Qin Ting Qin 3*Jun Li Jun Li 3*Zhichun Chang Zhichun Chang 3Yanfang Li Yanfang Li 3*Jianmei Zhang Jianmei Zhang 3Mujun Liu Mujun Liu 2*Jianli Wang Jianli Wang 2*Rong Ren Rong Ren 2*Ziliang Qian Ziliang Qian 2*Jinxin Liu Jinxin Liu 4*Chen Min Chen Min 1*
  • 1 Faculty of Chinese Medicine and State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicines, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, China
  • 2 Shenzhen Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine (Futian), Shenzhen, China
  • 3 The sixth Clinical Medical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, China
  • 4 Shenzhen Graduate School of Peking University, Guangdong, Shenzhen, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Moxibustion is a form of therapy that to warm the acupoints located skin by using dried mugwort leaves. It is widely used to treat gouty arthritis (GA). However, the mechanism of moxibustion on improving GA has not been fully revealed. In this study, we explore the mechanism of moxibustion on GA via metabolomics combined with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory.Methods: Three days before model induction, the rats of moxibustion groups were treated with moxibustion in the ST36 and SP6, and then, a GA rat model induced by monosodium urate (MSU) was established. Biological samples, including joint synovial tissue and serum samples, were collected and measured by histopathological staining, molecular biology assays and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based metabolomics.Results: We found that moxibustion could reduce the ankle edema induced by MSU crystals, decrease the expression of related proinflammatory genes, decrease the levels of serum IL-18 and IL-1β, and restore the metabolism of glycerol phospholipids, niacin and nicotinamide in GA model rats.Conclusion: Moxibustion can regulate the metabolism of GA model rats widely to inhibit inflammation. Our research deepens our understanding of the complex mechanisms of moxibustion and promotes the application of moxibustion in the clinical practice.

    Keywords: Moxibustion, Gouty arthritis, Inflammation, Metabonomics, LC-MS

    Received: 22 May 2024; Accepted: 08 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Xie, Chen, Qin, Li, Chang, Li, Zhang, Liu, Wang, Ren, Qian, Liu and Min. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Ting Qin, The sixth Clinical Medical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, China
    Jun Li, The sixth Clinical Medical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, China
    Yanfang Li, The sixth Clinical Medical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, China
    Mujun Liu, Shenzhen Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine (Futian), Shenzhen, China
    Jianli Wang, Shenzhen Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine (Futian), Shenzhen, China
    Rong Ren, Shenzhen Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine (Futian), Shenzhen, China
    Ziliang Qian, Shenzhen Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine (Futian), Shenzhen, China
    Jinxin Liu, Shenzhen Graduate School of Peking University, Guangdong, Shenzhen, China
    Chen Min, Faculty of Chinese Medicine and State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicines, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.