RECENT RESEARCH
Acupuncture and TCM
Gamus D , Shoenfeld Y . Acupuncture therapy in autoimmune diseases : A narrative review . Autoimmun Rev . 2025 Jan 31 ; 24 ( 2 ): 103709 . doi : 10.1016 / j . autrev . 2024.103709 . 90
We provide a narrative review of experimental and clinical evidence for the effect of acupuncture in autoimmune diseases , based on randomized controlled studies , systematic review and metaanalyses , published between the years 2000-2023 . Acupuncture in experimental models of rheumatoid arthritis ( RA ), multiple sclerosis , psoriasis , ulcerative colitis ( UC ) downregulated inflammatory cytokine expression , increased IL- 10 expression , improved Treg cell differentiation , and also modulated macrophage polarization in RA and UC models . The anti-inflammatory effect of acupuncture in autoimmune disorders has been demonstrated to involve vagaladrenal and cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathways . The analgesic effect of acupuncture involves both peripheral and central anti-nociceptive mechanisms . Randomized controlled studies support the use of acupuncture in rheumatoid arthritis , fibromyalgia , Crohn ' s disease and in Sjogren ' s syndrome . Some evidence indicates that acupuncture may be beneficial as a symptomatic treatment for multiple sclerosis , myasthenia gravis , psoriasis and ankylosing spondylitis .
Wang F , Ma DY , Yang JT , Lyu DF , Gao QH , Li CL , Zhong CF . Mechanisms and efficacy of Chinese herbal medicines in benign prostatic hyperplasia . Chin J Integr Med . 2025 Jan ; 31 ( 1 ): 73- 82 . doi : 10.1007 / s11655-024-3916-0
Benign prostatic hyperplasia ( BPH ) is one of the most common diseases in elderly men , the incidence of which gradually increases with age and leads to lower urinary tract symptoms ( LUTS ), which seriously affects the quality of life of patients . Chinese herbal medicines ( CHMs ) are widely used for the treatment of BPH in China and some other countries . To explore the molecular mechanisms of CHMs for BPH , we conducted a review based on peerreviewed English-language publications in PubMed and Web of Science databases from inception to December 31 , 2023 . This article primarily reviewed 32 papers on the use of CHMs and its active compounds in the treatment of BPH , covering animal and cell experiments , and identified relevant mechanisms of action . The results suggest that the mechanisms of action of CHMs in treating BPH may involve the regulation of sex hormones , downregulation of cell growth factors , anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects , inhibition of cell proliferation , and promotion of apoptosis . CHMs also exhibit α-blocker-like effects , with the potential to relax urethral smooth muscle and alleviate LUTS . Additionally , we also reviewed 4 clinical trials and meta-analyses of CHMs for the treatment of BPH patients , which provided initial evidence of the safety and effectiveness of CHMs treatment . CHMs treatment for BPH shows advantages as a multi-component , multi-target , and multi-pathway therapy , which can mitigate the severity of the disease , improve LUTS , and may become a reliable treatment option in the future .
Gan D , Gao TS , Ma L , Lu H , Dai H , Liu QY , Lai YW , Liu XH , Peng ZD , Chen RY , Qiu ZY , Tong Y , Yan RX , Liu JH , Shen Q , Wang C , Yu SS , Chen SW , Liu XW , Chen XY , Zhang FN , Wang ZM , Wang YN , Yang X . Clinical efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine formula for Graves ' hyperthyroidism : A multicentre , randomized , double-blind , placebocontrolled clinical trial . J Ethnopharmacol . 2025 Feb 10 ; 338 ( Pt 3 ): 119106 . doi : 10.1016 / j . jep . 2024.119106
Ethnopharmacological relevance : According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine , Graves ' disease ( GD ) is called ' Ying Bing ', which is a kind of goiter . Haizao Yuhu decoction , originated from the medical book of the Ming Dynasty ' Waikezhengzong ', is a classic Chinese herbal formula for the treatment of ' Ying Bing ' for more than 400 years . Pingkang granules , modified from the Chinese herbal formula Haizao Yuhu decoction specialized in GD , has shown effectiveness in several single-centre studies . However , high-quality clinical evidence for the management of GD using Pingkang granules remains insufficient .
Aim of the study : To obtain highquality medical evidence for the treatment of GD with Pingkang granules through randomized controlled clinical trial .
Materials and methods : A multicentre , randomized , double-blinded , placebocontrolled clinical trial was designed . A total of 186 patients with Graves ' hyperthyroidism from five medical centers were randomly assigned to receive methimazole [ MMI ] and Pingkang granules placebo ( group A ), MMI and Pingkang granules ( group B ), or MMI placebo and Pingkang granules ( group C ) in a 1:1:1 ratio for 12 weeks . The primary clinical outcomes were serum free triiodothyronine ( FT3 ) and free thyroxine ( FT4 ) levels from baseline until the end of the research . Secondary clinical outcomes included serum thyrotrophin receptor antibody ( TRAb ) levels at 4- and 12-weeks post-intervention , thyroid volume , peak systolic velocity of the superior thyroid artery ( STA-PSV ), 39-item version of Thyroid-Related Patient-Reported Outcome ( ThyPRO39 ) scores , and safety assessment included blood routine , liver and kidney function tests from baseline to the endpoint .
Results : 150 patients were included in the full analysis set for efficacy analysis , including 48 , 50 , and 52 in groups A , B , and C , respectively . At the endpoint , three regimens significantly reduced serum FT3 levels ( group A , p = 0.0027 ; group B , p < 0.0001 ; group C , p = 0.0028 ) and FT4 levels ( group A , p < 0.0001 ; group B , p < 0.0001 ; group C , p < 0.0001 ), and the combination of MMI and Pingkang granules markedly reduced serum TRAb levels ( p = 0.0014 ). The thyroid volume in group A was significantly larger than that at baseline at week 12 ( p = 0.0370 ), and there were no statistically significant differences in the thyroid volume among groups at week 4 ( p = 0.7485 ) and 12 ( p = 0.1333 ). STA- PSV values in group B were significantly higher than those in group A at week 4 ( p = 0.0409 ). The STA-PSV levels in groups A ( p < 0.0001 ) and C ( p = 0.0025 ) were significantly lower than those at baseline at week 4 , and STA-PSV levels
44 | vol31 | no1 | JATMS