ArticleMolecular medicine (Cambridge, Mass.)2020
Electroacupuncture alleviates polycystic ovary syndrome-like symptoms through improving insulin resistance, mitochondrial dysfunction, and endoplasmic reticulum stress via enhancing autophagy in rats.
Article in Molecular medicine (Cambridge, Mass.), 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 43 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of acupuncture-related therapies on endocrine and metabolic outcomes in obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Efficacy of Acupuncture in Alleviating Negative Emotions in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Brain and behavior · 2025Pooled it
- Dose-response of acupuncture on ovulation rates in polycystic ovary syndrome: a meta-analysis and exploratory dose-response analysis.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2025Pooled it
- Efficacy of acupuncture in animal models of various ovarian dysfunctions: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Pooled it
- The crosslink between autophagy and ferroptosis in polycystic ovary syndrome: from synergistic pathogenesis to targeted therapy.Journal of ovarian research · 2026Review
- The organelle oxidative-inflammatory network in polycystic ovary syndrome: from subcellular intercellular cascades to systemic comorbidities.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Mitochondria and polycystic ovary syndrome: The role of ferroptosis, inflammasomes, and endoplasmic reticulum stress.International journal of biological sciences · 2026Review
- Pathogenesis and treatment of obesity-related polycystic ovary syndrome.Journal of ovarian research · 2025Review
- The Mechanism of Acupuncture Regulating Autophagy: Progress and Prospect.Biomolecules · 2025Review
- Identification of Interactive Genetic Loci Linked to Insulin Resistance in Metabolic Syndrome-An Update.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Review
- Bridging tradition and innovation: electroacupuncture's impact on premature ovarian insufficiency.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2025Review
- New insights into the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome: HKDC1 promotes the growth of ovarian granulocyte cells by regulating mitochondrial function and glycolysis.Journal of molecular histology · 2024Article
- The Roles of Autophagy in the Genesis and Development of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.Reproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) · 2023Review
- A Review on Acupuncture Efficiency in Human Polycystic Ovary/Ovarian Syndrome.Journal of pharmacopuncture · 2023Review
- Article
- Effects of electroacupuncture on the kisspeptin-gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) /luteinizing hormone (LH) neural circuit abnormalities and androgen receptor expression of kisspeptin/neurokinin B/dynorphin neurons in PCOS rats.Journal of ovarian research · 2023Article
- Effects of TCM on polycystic ovary syndrome and its cellular endocrine mechanism.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2023Review
- Roles of endoplasmic reticulum stress in the pathophysiology of polycystic ovary syndrome.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2023Review
- Astragaloside IV regulates autophagy-mediated proliferation and apoptosis in a rat model of PCOS by activating the PPARγ pathway.Iranian journal of basic medical sciences · 2022Article
- Underlying mechanisms of acupuncture therapy on polycystic ovary syndrome: Evidences from animal and clinical studies.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundElectroacupuncture (EA), a treatment derived from traditional Chinese medicine, can effectively improve hyperandrogenism and insulin resistance in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), however, its underlying mechanisms remain obscure. This study aimed to investigate whether EA could mitigate PCOS-like symptoms in rats by regulating autophagy.
methodsA rat model of PCOS-like symptoms was established by subcutaneous injection with dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and then EA treatment at acupoints (ST29 and SP6) was carried out for 5 weeks. To inhibit autophagy in rats, intraperitoneal injection with 0.5 mg/kg 3-MA (an autophagy inhibitor) was performed at 30 min before each EA treatment.
resultsEA intervention alleviated PCOS-like symptoms in rats, which was partly counteracted by the combination with 3-MA. Moreover, DHEA-exposure-induced deficient autophagy in skeletal muscle was improved by EA treatment. EA-mediated improvements in insulin resistance, mitochondrial dysfunction, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in PCOS-like rats were counteracted by 3-MA pretreatment. Mechanically, EA attenuated autophagy deficiency-mediated insulin resistance in PCOS-like rats via inactivating mTOR/4E-BP1 signaling pathway.
conclusionsTaken together, our findings indicate that EA treatment ameliorates insulin resistance, mitochondrial dysfunction, and ER stress through enhancing autophagy in a PCOS-like rat model. Our study provides novel insight into the mechanisms underlying the treatment of EA in PCOS, which offers more theoretic foundation for its clinical application.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.