Abstract: Moxibustion is an important component part of Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM).Among different kinds of moxibustion methods,thermal stimulation seems to be a pivotal impact factor to the theraputic efficacy.Based on its thermal characteristic and treated area-skin,we hypothesize that the thermosensitive TRPV channels may involve in the mechanism of moxibustion.This study,by referring to various experimental and clinical data,analyzes the properties and features of transient receptor potential vanilloid(TRPV)subfamily 1-4 and the impact of moxibustion on these channels.The factors impacting the efficacy of moxibustion treatment were analyzed on three levels:the independent ba-sic factors of moxibustion(temperature,space and time);moxibustion intensity(a compound factor achieved through comprehensive control of the three individual basic factors mentioned above);and moxibustion quantity(the amount of temperature stimulation applied within a certain unit of time,including the total amount of moxibustion treatment).The results from present study show that the effect of moxibustion therapy appears to be determined by the activation of TRPV1-4,mainly TRPV1 and TRPV2.Temperature(the degree of heat stimulation),time and area(how long the treatment lasts and how many TRPV1-4 channels are activated)affect the intensity of moxibustion treatment to form effective moxibustion quantity;this should be considered in clinical moxibustion application.

Key words: Moxibustion, Thermal stimulation, Ther moreceptor, Transient receptor potential channels