Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41244868›Full record

SynthesisFrontiers in psychiatry2025

Effect of acupuncture on neuroinflammatory responses in depression animals: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Dongyi Ni, Jinbu Zhang, Ruyu Qi, Yingjie Huang, Min Li, Lining Duan

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Frontiers in psychiatry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Dongyi NiClinical Medical of Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Jinbu ZhangThe First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Ruyu QiClinical Medical of Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Yingjie HuangClinical Medical of Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Min LiClinical Medical of Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Lining DuanThe First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Depression causes many negative effects and even death to patients; the burden on society is also heavy in terms of economics. The neuroinflammatory mechanism of acupuncture regulating depression is unclear. Thus, this study evaluated the effect of acupuncture on neuroinflammatory responses in depression animals and provided a clinical reference for depression treatment. Methods: The Web of Science, Embase, the Cochrane Library, PubMed, CNKI, WanFang, CBM, and VIP databases were searched. The SYRCLE Risk of Bias Tool was used to assess bias in the studies. Meta-analysis was performed using Stata 15.0. The sources of heterogeneity were explored using subgroup analysis, and stability was evaluated using sensitivity analysis. Quality of evidence for outcomes was assessed using GDT. Results: This study included 25 studies and 466 animals. According to meta-analysis, compared with the control group, acupuncture significantly reduced IL-1β (SMD: -1.62, 95% CI: -1.93, -1.31), IL-6 (SMD: -1.89, 95% CI: -2.51, -1.26), and TNF-α in depression animals (SMD: -2.09, 95% CI: -2.83, -1.34) and improved IL-4 (SMD: 1.01, 95% CI:0.35, 1.67), IL-10 (SMD:0.77, 95% CI:0.26, 1.28), body weight (SMD:1.69, 95% CI: 1.23, 2.15), crossing numbers (SMD: 1.74, 95% CI: 1.31, 2.17), and rearing numbers (SMD: 1.77, 95% CI: 1.16, 2.39). Conclusion: Acupuncture has the potential to alleviate depression by attenuating neuroinflammatory responses, and the mechanism may be related to modulating the release of inflammatory factors as well as regulating the activation of microglia. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42024534237.

Indexed as

acupunctureanimalsdepressiondepressive-like behaviorsmeta-analysisneuroinflammatorysystematic review

Identifiers

PMID41244868
PMCPMC12617222

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.