Effects of moxibustion therapies on immune function in cancer animal models: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract

<h4>Background</h4>Moxibustion is a key component of traditional Chinese medicine and is widely employed in clinical practice as an adjunctive therapy for cancer. Preclinical studies have demonstrated that moxibustion can modulate host immune function, improve the tumor immune microenvironment, and suppress tumor growth. This study aims to evaluate the effects of moxibustion on immune function in animal models of cancer.<h4>Methods</h4>A systematic literature search was conducted to identify all animal studies on moxibustion therapy for cancer in English-language databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science) and Chinese-language databases (CNKI, Wanfang, CBM, and VIP). Data extraction was performed independently by two reviewers. Statistical analyses were carried out using RevMan 5.4 software. Potential publication bias was assessed using Egger's test and funnel plots.<h4>Results</h4>The initial literature search identified a total of 2639 potentially relevant studies, of which 48 met the predefined inclusion criteria. Meta-analysis revealed that moxibustion therapy significantly inhibited tumor growth in animal models. Compared with the control group, moxibustion was associated with a significant reduction in tumor volume (SMD = -1.79; 95% CI [-2.59, -0.99]; <i>P</i> < 0.0001) and tumor weight (SMD = -1.48; 95% CI [-1.88, -1.08]; <i>P</i> < 0.00001). The spleen index was elevated (SMD = 0.69; 95% CI [0.08, 1.29]; <i>P</i> = 0.03), IL-2 levels were increased (SMD = 1.71; 95% CI [0.88, 2.55]; <i>P</i> < 0.0001), IFN-γ levels were elevated (SMD = 1.14; 95% CI [0.72, 1.56]; <i>P</i> < 0.00001), while IL-6 levels showed a decreasing trend (SMD = -0.73; 95% CI [-2.42, 0.96]; <i>P</i> = 0.40), and TNF-α levels were elevated (SMD = 0.24; 95% CI [-0.81, 1.28]; <i>P</i> = 0.66).<h4>Conclusion</h4>Although this study has certain limitations, the findings indicate that moxibustion therapy exerts an inhibitory effect on tumor growth in animal models of nine cancer types, including hepatocellular carcinoma, lung cancer, gastric cancer, sarcoma, breast cancer, colon cancer, rectal cancer, lymphoma, and colorectal cancer. Moxibustion also increases the spleen index, elevates levels of anti-tumor immune cytokines such as IL-2, IFN-γ, and TNF-α, suppresses the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6, and enhances host immune function.<h4>Systematic review registration</h4>https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42024564223.