Therapeutic Potential of Acupuncture in Knee Osteoarthritis: Clinical Efficacy and Mechanistic Insights

Several human studies show positive signals, while research methods and sample sizes continue to develop.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a prevalent degenerative joint disorder that significantly compromises joint function due to the progressive degradation of cartilage and persistent inflammation. Acupuncture is an effective technique that has been employed in Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat KOA. This review aims to summarize 21 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and mechanistic research to investigate acupuncture's clinical efficacy and biological mechanisms in KOA. The literature was sourced from various databases, including PubMed, CNKI, and Google Scholar. Clinical data revealed that acupuncture monotherapy significantly reduces pain intensity (Visual Analogue Scale reductions: 32-54%) and enhances functional capacity (WOMAC score improvements: 25-40%). Furthermore, the combination of acupuncture with moxibustion or electroacupuncture induced synergistic improvements. Mechanistically, acupuncture modulates KOA pathophysiology by suppressing NF-κB-mediated pro-inflammatory cytokines, inhibiting chondrocyte apoptosis (caspase-3 downregulation) while activating autophagy (LC3-II/Beclin-1 upregulation), rebalancing cartilage metabolism by increasing aggrecan/COL2A1 synthesis and MMP-13 inhibition, as well as by attenuating pain transmission through μ-opioid receptor activation and central descending inhibition. These multimodal interventions position acupuncture as a dual-tar

Evidence level

Several human studies show positive signals, while research methods and sample sizes continue to develop.

Browse all related research

Filter the research library by this study's title keywords, author, or publication year.