ArticleJournal of pain research2026
Moxibustion Regulates the Imbalance of Cartilage Degradation and Repair in Knee Osteoarthritis Rabbits via the SDF-1/CXCR4 Axis: Is Stimulating Heat-Sensitized Acupoints More Efficacious?
Article in Journal of pain research, 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: This study investigated whether moxibustion, particularly at heat-sensitized acupoints, exerts therapeutic effects on knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and whether these effects are associated with the modulation of the SDF-1/CXCR4 signaling axis, a key regulator of cartilage metabolism. Methods: A KOA model was induced in rabbits, which were then randomized into control (n=6), model (n=6), and moxibustion groups. Following a 14-day moxibustion intervention, the moxibustion group was further classified into heat-sensitive moxibustion (HSM, n=6) and non-heat-sensitive moxibustion (NSM, n=6) subgroups based on thermal response measured by infrared thermal imaging. Heat-sensitization was defined as a sustained distal skin temperature elevation ≥ 1°C during treatment, while non-heat-sensitive was defined as an elevation < 1°C. After a 14-day intervention, outcomes were assessed via the Lequesne MG index, histopathology, RT-qPCR, Western blot, and Micro-CT. Results: Compared to the model group (Lequesne score: 9.667±1.633), both HSM (3.167±0.753, p<0.01) and NSM (5.000±0.894, p<0.01) significantly improved joint function. HSM significantly outperformed NSM (p<0.05). At the molecular level, HSM significantly downregulated SDF-1 (1.570±0.131 vs 1.957±0.301, p<0.05), CXCR4 (1.902±0.318 vs 2.313±0.277, p<0.05), and MMP-13 (2.166±0.312 vs 2.608±0.340, p<0.05) mRNA expression, while significantly upregulating SOX9 (0.774±0.086 vs 0.638±0.089, p<0.05) and Col2a1 (0.728±0.091 vs 0.601±0.078, p<0.05) compared to NSM. In terms of subchondral bone, although both moxibustion groups showed significant improvements over the model group (all p<0.05), no statistically significant differences were observed between HSM and NSM for BMD, BV/TV, Tb.N, Tb.Th, or Tb.Sp (all p>0.05). Conclusion: Moxibustion ameliorates KOA, and this effect is accompanied by the suppression of the SDF-1/CXCR4 signaling axis and restoration of the balance between cartilage catabolism and anabolism. Stimulation of heat-sensitized acupoints offers superior benefits for functional recovery and molecular markers of cartilage repair compared to non-heat-sensitive acupoints, although this advantage was not observed in subchondral bone parameters.
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.