Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine ›› 2026, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (2): 339-349.DOI: 10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2026.02.007

• Original Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Moxibustion alleviates autophagy and inhibits ferroptosis to improve cardiac function in rats with post-myocardial infarction heart failure

GAO Bing1, LIU Pan1, LI Lan2, GONG Tiantian2, ZHU Ling2, LI Lingji1, XIA Ran1,3, MA Qiang2,3, HU Jing1, WANG Jing1,3,4()   

  1. 1 College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
    2 Acupuncture and moxibustion and Massage College, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
    3 Key Laboratory of Xin’an Medical Ministry of Education, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China
    4 Center for Xin’an Medicine and Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine of IHM, Hefei 230012, China
  • Received:2024-11-03 Accepted:2025-05-15 Online:2026-04-15 Published:2026-04-04
  • Contact: Dr. WANG Jing, College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China. Wangjing2161@126.com; Telephone: +86-13865912237
  • Supported by:
    National Natural Science Foundation of China: Research on the Cardiomyoprotective Effect Mechanism of Moxibustion Regulating the Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Signaling Pathway to Inhibit Autophagy(81574084);Natural Science Research Project of Colleges and Universities in Anhui Province, China: Exploring the Mechanism of Moxibustion Anti-chronic Heart Failure Fibrosis Based on MicroRNA-21/Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog/mTOR Signaling Pathway-mediated Circular RNA PAN3 Regulation of Cardiomyocyte Autophagy, and Investigating the Mechanism of Moxibustion in Preventing and Treating Chronic Heart Failure Myocardial Fibrosis Based on Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1-regulated Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide-mediated Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Signaling Pathway(kj2021a0570);Natural Science Research Project of Colleges and Universities in Anhui Province, China: Exploring the Mechanism of Moxibustion Anti-chronic Heart Failure Fibrosis Based on MicroRNA-21/Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog/mTOR Signaling Pathway-mediated Circular RNA PAN3 Regulation of Cardiomyocyte Autophagy, and Investigating the Mechanism of Moxibustion in Preventing and Treating Chronic Heart Failure Myocardial Fibrosis Based on Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1-regulated Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide-mediated Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Signaling Pathway(2023AH050796);Special Project of Xin'an Medical and Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization Research Institute of Great Health Research Institute: Research on the Academic Thoughts of Xin'an Medical Expert Wu Yiding in Treating Fever with Moxibustion and the Application of Moxibustion in the Treatment of Epidemic Viral Pneumonia(2023CXMMTCM022)

Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: To explore the mechanism by which moxibustion alleviates autophagy and inhibits ferroptosis, thereby improving myocardial fibrosis in rats with post-myocardial infarction heart failure (post-MI HF).

METHODS: We used a rat model of post-MI HF rats. Interventions included moxibustion and intraperitoneal injection of rapamycin (RAPA) along with assessing echocardiography, cardiac pathology, myocardial mitochondrial morphology, co-immunofluorescence, transmission electron microscope, Western blotting, and reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTS: Moxibustion improves the left ventricular ejection fraction and fractional shortening, myocardial cell morphology, and myocardial fibrosis levels induced by post-MI HF. In addition, it reduces the immunofluorescence co-localization intensity of nuclear receptor coactivator 4 (NCOA4) and microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B light chain 3 and decreases the level of intracellular free iron. It suppresses autophagy and ferroptosis-related indicators, downregulates NCOA4 expression, upregulates glutathione peroxidase 4 expression, and decreases lipid peroxidation levels. The activation of autophagy increases NCOA4 expression and promotes ferroptosis. Furthermore, moxibustion counteracts the effects of RAPA.

CONCLUSIONS: Moxibustion can alleviate myocardial fibrosis and exert cardioprotective effects by regulating autophagy and inhibiting ferroptosis. Our findings indicate that targeting autophagy-induced ferroptosis may serve as a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of post-MI HF.

Key words: moxibustion, nuclear receptor coactivator 4, ferroptosis, autophagy, heart failure, myocardial fibrosis

Cite this article

GAO Bing, LIU Pan, LI Lan, GONG Tiantian, ZHU Ling, LI Lingji, XIA Ran, MA Qiang, HU Jing, WANG Jing. Moxibustion alleviates autophagy and inhibits ferroptosis to improve cardiac function in rats with post-myocardial infarction heart failure[J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2026, 46(2): 339-349.