ArticleFrontiers in molecular biosciences2026
Electroacupuncture alleviates osteoarthritis and is associated with changes in gut microbiota and steroid biosynthesis-related metabolites.
Article in Frontiers in molecular biosciences, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Electroacupuncture (EA) is widely used for osteoarthritis (OA), but its mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigated the therapeutic effects of EA on OA in rats and its potential mechanisms. Methods: A rat model of knee OA was established via intra-articular injection of sodium monoiodoacetate. The effects of EA on behavioral indices (paw withdrawal threshold (PWT), body weight, knee width), cartilage pathology (HE staining, Safranin O-fast green staining, TUNEL), and inflammatory factors (IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α) were assessed. Gut microbiota and metabolites were analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing and metabolomics. Finally, integrative analysis of differential gut microbiotas and metabolites was conducted. Results: EA alleviated joint pain, increased PWT, reduced knee swelling, promoted cartilage repair, and inhibited chondrocyte apoptosis in OA rats. Additionally, EA decreased IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α levels in both serum and synovial fluid. EA altered gut microbiota composition, increasing Conclusion: EA alleviated OA and was associated with changes in gut microbiota composition and steroid biosynthesis-related metabolites. These findings suggest that the gut microbiota-metabolite axis may be involved in the effects of EA on OA.
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.