Moxibustion ameliorates osteoarthritis by regulating gut microbiota via impacting cAMP-related signaling pathway.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent progressive disorder. Moxibustion has found widespread use in clinical practice for OA, while its underlying mechanism remains elusive. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether moxibustion can ameliorate OA by influencing the metabolic processes in OA and to elucidate the specific metabolic mechanisms involved. METHODS: C57BL/6J WT mice were randomly assigned to one of three groups the SHAM group, the ACLT group, and the ACLT+M group. In the ACLT+M group, mice underwent moxibustion treatment at acupoints Shenshu (BL23) and Zusanli (ST36) for a continuous period of 28 days, with each session lasting 20 min. We conducted a comprehensive analysis to assess the impact of moxibustion on OA, focusing on pathological changes, intestinal flora composition, and serum metabolites. RESULTS: Moxibustion treatment effectively mitigated OA-related pathological changes. Specifically, moxibustion treatment resulted in the amelioration of articular cartilage damage, synovial inflammation, subchondral bone sclerosis when compared to the ACLT group. Moreover, 16S rDNA sequencing analysis revealed that moxibustion treatment positively influenced the composition of the flora, making it more similar to that of the SHAM group. Notably, moxibustion treatment led to a reduction in the abundance of Ruminococcus and Proteobacteria in the intestine. In addition, non-targeted metabolomics analysis identified 254 significantly different metabolites between the groups. Based on KEGG pathway analysis and the observed impact of moxibustion on OA-related inflammation, moxibustion therapy is closely associated with the cAMP-related signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: Moxibustion can relieve OA by regulating intestinal flora and via impacting cAMP-related signaling pathway.