ArticleFrontiers in immunology2026
Electroacupuncture attenuates synovitis in knee osteoarthritis and is associated with modulation of the protein S-TAM (Axl/MerTK)-Rac1 signaling axis.
Article in Frontiers in immunology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Synovitis, a core pathological feature of knee osteoarthritis (KOA), drives pain and disease progression via sustained inflammation and disrupted tissue homeostasis. Electroacupuncture (EA) shows clinical benefits in KOA management, yet its specific molecular mechanisms against synovitis remain incompletely defined. The Protein S-Tyro3, Axl, MerTK (TAM) pathway-particularly Axl/MerTK and downstream Rac1-constitutes a key efferocytosis-related and inflammation-resolving signaling axis. We hypothesized that EA alleviates KOA synovitis and is associated with restoration of this dysregulated pathway. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to Control, KOA (anterior cruciate ligament transection, ACLT), and KOA-EA groups. After 1 month of model induction, the KOA-EA group received EA at GB34, SP10, ST36, and KI3 (30 min/day, 5 days/week for 12 weeks; sparse-dense waves: 3/15 Hz, 1 mA). We assessed cartilage histopathology (Mankin's/OARSI scores), synovitis (Krenn score), synovial apoptosis (TUNEL, Cleaved Caspase-3/F4/80 co-staining), serum cytokines (IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-10, TGF-β1 via ELISA), and MMP13 expression (IHC). qRT-PCR was used to measure Pros1, Axl, Mertk, and Rac1 mRNA expression in synovium, while Western blot was used to measure Protein S, Axl, MerTK, and Rac1 protein expression; MMP13 in cartilage was assessed by both methods. Results: ACLT successfully induced KOA, with severe cartilage degradation, synovial inflammation, elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines, and increased synovial apoptosis. EA significantly ameliorated cartilage damage (reduced Mankin's/OARSI scores, Conclusion: EA showed anti-inflammatory and chondroprotective effects in this KOA model and was associated with changes in synovial Protein S-TAM (Axl/MerTK)-Rac1 axis-related molecules, with stronger evidence at the mRNA level than at the protein level. These molecular changes may be related to apoptotic cell clearance-related processes and inflammation resolution.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
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.