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Moxibustion Promotes Formation of Granulation in Wound Healing Process through Induction of Transforming Growth Factor-β in Rats

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Abstract

Objective

To examine the effect of moxibustion on the wound healing process and its mechanism using a rat wound model.

Methods

Sixty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a sham-treated group (n=30, wound surgery only) and a moxibustion group (n=30, wound treated with moxibustion). Circular full-thickness skin wounds were produced in rats. Moxibustion was applied to the edge of wound and was continued on alternating days till 14 days after surgery, followed by measurement of wound size. Expression of collagens, prolyl-4-hydroxylase (P4H) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) were evaluated by histochemical study and real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Results

The size of the wound lesion was significantly reduced in rats treated with moxibustion as compared to that in sham-treated rats at 4–10 days after wounding (P<0.01). Moxibustion stimulated mRNA expression of collagens at 4 days (P<0.01), but not at 7 days, accompanied by enhanced proliferation of P4H-positive fibroblasts. Of importance, expression of TGF-β in tissue from the wound lesion treated with moxibustion was significantly increased as compared to that in sham-treated rats at 4 days (P<0.01 or P<0.05), but not at 7 days.

Conclusions

The treatment with moxibustion promoted the wound healing process in the early phase through proliferation of fibroblasts and rapid formation of granulation, possibly mediated by induction of TGF-β which is a key molecule in the physiological process of wound healing. Moxibustion can be expected to be effective as complementary treatment for intractable ulcers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Health Sciences, Morinomiya University of Medical Sciences, Osaka, 559-8611, Japan

    Hiroshi Kawanami, Hirohisa Kawahata, Hiroko-Miyuki Mori & Motokuni Aoki

Authors
  1. Hiroshi Kawanami
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  2. Hirohisa Kawahata
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  3. Hiroko-Miyuki Mori
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  4. Motokuni Aoki
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Contributions

Kawanami H conceived and designed the experiments, carried out the laboratory experiments, analyzed and interpreted the data, and prepared the manuscript. Kawahata H and Mori HM analyzed and interpreted the data, and prepared the manuscript. Aoki M conceived and designed the experiments, analyzed and interpreted the data, and revised the article critically for important intellectual content. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Motokuni Aoki.

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The authors declare that they have no competing interest.

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Kawanami, H., Kawahata, H., Mori, HM. et al. Moxibustion Promotes Formation of Granulation in Wound Healing Process through Induction of Transforming Growth Factor-β in Rats. Chin. J. Integr. Med. 26, 26–32 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-019-3083-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-019-3083-x

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