[Effect of medicated-thread moxibustion of Zhuang medicine on autophagy in gastric smooth muscle cells of rats with diabetic gastroparesis via miR-10b-5p/PTEN/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway].

Authors

Hui Xu, Yujun He, Yu Wu, Zibin Wang, Fangzhi Zhang, Yushan Fan

Published in

Zhongguo zhen jiu = Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion. Volume 46. Issue 10. Pages 1661-1670. Oct 12, 2026. Epub Aug 21, 2026.

Abstract

To investigate the underlying mechanism of medicated-thread moxibustion of Zhuang medicine in intervention of diabetic gastroparesis (DGP).
A total of 63 male SD rats were randomly divided into a blank group (13 rats) and a model preparation group (50 rats). The DGP models were established in the model preparation group by intraperitoneal injection of 1% streptozotocin (55 mg/kg). Forty successfully modeled rats were randomized into a model group, a western medicatione group, a non-meridian and non-point group, and a yangming meridian point group, with 10 rats in each group. In the yangming meridian point group, the medicated-thread moxibustion of Zhuang medicine was operated at bilateral "Liangmen" (ST21), "Qichong" (ST30), "Zusanli" (ST36), and "Fenglong" (ST40), with 3 moxa cones at each point. In the non-meridian and non-point group, the medicated-thread moxibustion of Zhuang medicine was operated at the sites not belonging to either meridian or meridian point, with 3 moxa cones per site. In the western medication group, mosapride citrate suspension was administered via gavage (10 mL/kg). All interventions were performed once daily, and for 3 consecutive weeks. Blood glucose level, gastric emptying rate, and small intestinal propulsion rate were measured in each group. HE staining was used to observe the morphology of gastric smooth muscle in gastric amooth muscle; Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of ubiquitin-bound protein p62 (p62), Beclin1, phosphatase-tensin homolog (PTEN), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (AKT), microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 Ⅱ (LC3-Ⅱ) and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3Ⅰ (LC3-Ⅰ) in gastric smooth muscle, and the ratio of LC3-Ⅱ/Ⅰ was calculated. Using the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), the mRNA expression of microRNA-10b-5p (miR-10b-5p), PTEN, PI3K, and AKT was detected in gastric smooth muscle. With dual-luciferase reporter assay adopted, the targeting relationship between miR-10b-5p and PTEN was verified.
Compared with the blank group, the model group showed the increase in blood glucose level (P<0.05), the decrease in gastric emptying rate and small intestinal propulsion rate (P<0.05), disrupted and disorganized gastric smooth muscle cell structure, elevated protein expression of p62 and Beclin1 and LC3-Ⅱ/Ⅰ ratio (P<0.05), reduced mRNA expression of miR-10b-5p (P<0.05), higher protein and mRNA expression of PTEN (P<0.05), and lower protein and mRNA expression of PI3K and AKT (P<0.05). When compared with the model group, the Yangming meridian point group exhibited the decrease in blood glucose level (P<0.05); both the Yangming meridian point group and the western medication group showed the increase in gastric emptying rates and small intestinal propulsion rates (P<0.05), relatively intact gastric smooth muscle cell structure, reduced protein expression of p62 and Beclin1, and LC3-Ⅱ/Ⅰ ratio (P<0.05); higher mRNA expression of miR-10b-5p (P<0.05), lower protein and mRNA expression of PTEN (P<0.05) and higher protein and mRNA expression of PI3K and AKT (P<0.05). Compared with the non-meridian and non-point group, in the Yangming meridian point group, blood glucose decreased (P<0.05), gastric emptying rate and small intestinal propulsion rate increased (P<0.05), the structure of gastric smooth muscle cells was relatively intact, the protein expression of p62 and Beclin1 and LC3-Ⅱ/Ⅰ ratio were reduced (P<0.05); the mRNA expression of miR-10b-5p was elevated (P<0.05), the protein and mRNA expression of PTEN was reduced (P<0.05), and the protein and mRNA expression of PI3K and AKT rose (P<0.05). When the PTEN wild-type (PTEN-WT) fluorescent plasmid was co-transfected with miR-10b-5p mimics, the relative luciferase activity decreased (P<0.001).
The medicated-thread moxibustion of Zhuang medicine ameliorates the delayed gastric emptying in DGP rats, which may be related to its regulation of the miR-10b-5p/PTEN/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, thereby inhibiting autophagy in gastric smooth muscle cells.

PMID:
42864291
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 13 Oct 2026.

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