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.
Keywords: collagen; complementary and alternative medicine; granulation; moxibustion; transforming growth factor-β; wound healing.