Research Article | | Peer-Reviewed

Integrative Approaches in Traditional Chinese Medicine: Mechanistic Insights into Neural Repair and Osteoarticular Regeneration

Received: 21 October 2025     Accepted: 12 November 2025     Published: 11 December 2025
Views:       Downloads:
Abstract

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) integrates multimodal interventions,such as acupuncture, manual therapy, and herbal medicine, to address complex disorders involving neural degeneration, skeletal injury, and musculoskeletal impairment. In clinical practice, Osteoarthritis (OA) is a long-term degenerative joint condition marked by the breakdown of articular cartilage, changes in subchondral bone, and ongoing pain with functional limitations,and peripheral nerve injury is a common medical problem that can be caused by sharp instruments, firearms, stretching or compression. it affects over one million people worldwide annually, making it a global clinical issue with a substantial socioeconomic cost. This study synthesizes evidence from three investigations: (1) Electroacupuncture (EA) at GB30/ST36 alleviates sciatic nerve injury by suppressing autophagy in rats; (2) Meridian-based manual therapy improves shoulder mobility and modulates serum inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-10, TGF-β, TNF-α) in frozen shoulder patients; (3) Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Decoction (HGWD) promotes osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) via ESR1 upregulation. These findings highlight autophagy regulation, immunomodulation, and stem cell differentiation as key mechanistic pathways through which TCM modalities exert their reparative effects. Collectively, these findings bridge traditional TCM practices with modern molecular insights, emphasizing autophagy regulation, immune response modulation, and stem cell differentiation as convergent therapeutic pathways. These results advocate for TCM integration into evidence-based regenerative medicine. This integrative approach not only deepens the scientific understanding of TCM mechanisms but also supports its clinical application in managing complex musculoskeletal and neurological conditions, offering promising avenues for developing novel treatment strategies that combine traditional wisdom with contemporary biomedical research.

Published in American Journal of Life Sciences (Volume 13, Issue 6)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajls.20251306.14
Page(s) 208-212
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Electroacupuncture, Autophagy, Peripheral Nerve Injury, Frozen Shoulder, Osteogenic Differentiation, HGWD, ESR1

References
[1] Lavasani, Mitra et al. “Muscle-derived stem/progenitor cell dysfunction limits healthspan and lifespan in a murine progeria model.” Nature communications vol. 3 608. 3 Jan. 2012,
[2] Scheib, Jami, and Ahmet Höke. “Advances in peripheral nerve regeneration.” Nature reviews. Neurology vol. 9,12 (2013): 668-76.
[3] Hawker, Gillian A.“Osteoarthritis is a serious disease.” Clinical and experimental rheumatology vol. 37 Suppl 120,5 (2019): 3-6. PMID: 31621562.
[4] D’ Arcy Y, et al. Managing chronic pain in older adults: a holistic approach.Postgraduate Medicine. 2021, 133(8), 879-894.
[5] Giorgino, Riccardo et al. “Knee Osteoarthritis: Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, and Mesenchymal Stem Cells: What Else Is New? An Update.” International journal of molecular sciences vol. 24,7 6405. 29 Mar. 2023,
[6] Qin, Zongshi et al. “Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Treating Sciatica: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM vol. 2015 (2015): 425108.
[7] Liu W, et al. Deciphering the Molecular Targets and Mechanisms of HGWD in the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis via Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2020; 2020: 7151634.
[8] Li, Wenhao et al. “Prevention and treatment of inflammatory arthritis with traditional Chinese medicine: Underlying mechanisms based on cell and molecular targets.” Ageing research reviews vol. 89 (2023): 101981.
[9] Xiong H, et al. Meridian-based manual therapy modulates cytokine profiles in frozen shoulder: a randomized trial.Acupunct Med. 2024; 42(5): 268-74.
[10] ZHAO Xin, XIONG Heran, CHEN Meiling, GAO Yang, LONG Chihui, XIANG Chao, HU Yanping, Effects of Meridian and Acupoint Regulation Combined with Trigger Point Kneading and Pulling Techniques on Shoulder Joint Mobility and Inflammatory Factors in Patients with Frozen Shoulder in Acute Phase, Acta Chinese Medicine and Pharmacology, 2024, 52 (12): 89-92.
[11] Zhao X, Hu Y, Xiong H, et al. Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu decoction promoted the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells by targeting ESR1. Cytotechnology. 2025;77(3):110.
[12] Huang HC, et al. Electroacupuncture suppresses neuroinflammation through autophagy regulation in SNI models. J Mol Neurosci. 2016; 58(4): 416-23.
[13] Cao S, et al. Low-frequency electroacupuncture ameliorates hippocampal inflammation in post-stroke depression. Brain Res Bull. 2021; 170: 155-61.
[14] Yang R, et al. Dihydroquercetin modulates gut microbiota to alleviate pancreatic injury in diabetes. Free Radic Biol Med. 2023; 195: 231-44.
[15] Carvalho CR, et al. Engineering biomaterials for neural regeneration. Biomater Sci. 2018; 6: 1059-75.
[16] Vasanthan J, et al. Extracellular vesicles in sarcopenia pathogenesis: a systematic review. Cells. 2020; 9: 54.
[17] Arthur A, Gronthos S. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in skeletal tissue repair..Int J Mol Sci. 2020; 21: 9759.
[18] Fu X, et al. BMSC extracellular vesicles regulate pyroptosis in osteoarthritis. Cells. 2019; 8: 784.
[19] Gu Y, et al. Mechanical loading promotes osteogenesis via miRNA-21-5p/EIF4EBP1 axis. Cell Prolif. 2023; 56: e13517.
[20] Wang N, et al. Senescent cells exacerbate osteoarthritis progression via SASP activation. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2022; 30: 302-14.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Zhao, X., Xiong, H., Chen, M., Hu, Y., Wang, S., et al. (2025). Integrative Approaches in Traditional Chinese Medicine: Mechanistic Insights into Neural Repair and Osteoarticular Regeneration. American Journal of Life Sciences, 13(6), 208-212. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajls.20251306.14

    Copy | Download

    ACS Style

    Zhao, X.; Xiong, H.; Chen, M.; Hu, Y.; Wang, S., et al. Integrative Approaches in Traditional Chinese Medicine: Mechanistic Insights into Neural Repair and Osteoarticular Regeneration. Am. J. Life Sci. 2025, 13(6), 208-212. doi: 10.11648/j.ajls.20251306.14

    Copy | Download

    AMA Style

    Zhao X, Xiong H, Chen M, Hu Y, Wang S, et al. Integrative Approaches in Traditional Chinese Medicine: Mechanistic Insights into Neural Repair and Osteoarticular Regeneration. Am J Life Sci. 2025;13(6):208-212. doi: 10.11648/j.ajls.20251306.14

    Copy | Download

  • @article{10.11648/j.ajls.20251306.14,
      author = {Xin Zhao and Heran Xiong and Meiling Chen and Yanping Hu and Song Wang and Fan Zhou and Chao Xiang},
      title = {Integrative Approaches in Traditional Chinese Medicine: Mechanistic Insights into Neural Repair and Osteoarticular Regeneration},
      journal = {American Journal of Life Sciences},
      volume = {13},
      number = {6},
      pages = {208-212},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajls.20251306.14},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajls.20251306.14},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajls.20251306.14},
      abstract = {Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) integrates multimodal interventions,such as acupuncture, manual therapy, and herbal medicine, to address complex disorders involving neural degeneration, skeletal injury, and musculoskeletal impairment. In clinical practice, Osteoarthritis (OA) is a long-term degenerative joint condition marked by the breakdown of articular cartilage, changes in subchondral bone, and ongoing pain with functional limitations,and peripheral nerve injury is a common medical problem that can be caused by sharp instruments, firearms, stretching or compression. it affects over one million people worldwide annually, making it a global clinical issue with a substantial socioeconomic cost. This study synthesizes evidence from three investigations: (1) Electroacupuncture (EA) at GB30/ST36 alleviates sciatic nerve injury by suppressing autophagy in rats; (2) Meridian-based manual therapy improves shoulder mobility and modulates serum inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-10, TGF-β, TNF-α) in frozen shoulder patients; (3) Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Decoction (HGWD) promotes osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) via ESR1 upregulation. These findings highlight autophagy regulation, immunomodulation, and stem cell differentiation as key mechanistic pathways through which TCM modalities exert their reparative effects. Collectively, these findings bridge traditional TCM practices with modern molecular insights, emphasizing autophagy regulation, immune response modulation, and stem cell differentiation as convergent therapeutic pathways. These results advocate for TCM integration into evidence-based regenerative medicine. This integrative approach not only deepens the scientific understanding of TCM mechanisms but also supports its clinical application in managing complex musculoskeletal and neurological conditions, offering promising avenues for developing novel treatment strategies that combine traditional wisdom with contemporary biomedical research.},
     year = {2025}
    }
    

    Copy | Download

  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Integrative Approaches in Traditional Chinese Medicine: Mechanistic Insights into Neural Repair and Osteoarticular Regeneration
    AU  - Xin Zhao
    AU  - Heran Xiong
    AU  - Meiling Chen
    AU  - Yanping Hu
    AU  - Song Wang
    AU  - Fan Zhou
    AU  - Chao Xiang
    Y1  - 2025/12/11
    PY  - 2025
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajls.20251306.14
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajls.20251306.14
    T2  - American Journal of Life Sciences
    JF  - American Journal of Life Sciences
    JO  - American Journal of Life Sciences
    SP  - 208
    EP  - 212
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2328-5737
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajls.20251306.14
    AB  - Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) integrates multimodal interventions,such as acupuncture, manual therapy, and herbal medicine, to address complex disorders involving neural degeneration, skeletal injury, and musculoskeletal impairment. In clinical practice, Osteoarthritis (OA) is a long-term degenerative joint condition marked by the breakdown of articular cartilage, changes in subchondral bone, and ongoing pain with functional limitations,and peripheral nerve injury is a common medical problem that can be caused by sharp instruments, firearms, stretching or compression. it affects over one million people worldwide annually, making it a global clinical issue with a substantial socioeconomic cost. This study synthesizes evidence from three investigations: (1) Electroacupuncture (EA) at GB30/ST36 alleviates sciatic nerve injury by suppressing autophagy in rats; (2) Meridian-based manual therapy improves shoulder mobility and modulates serum inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-10, TGF-β, TNF-α) in frozen shoulder patients; (3) Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Decoction (HGWD) promotes osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) via ESR1 upregulation. These findings highlight autophagy regulation, immunomodulation, and stem cell differentiation as key mechanistic pathways through which TCM modalities exert their reparative effects. Collectively, these findings bridge traditional TCM practices with modern molecular insights, emphasizing autophagy regulation, immune response modulation, and stem cell differentiation as convergent therapeutic pathways. These results advocate for TCM integration into evidence-based regenerative medicine. This integrative approach not only deepens the scientific understanding of TCM mechanisms but also supports its clinical application in managing complex musculoskeletal and neurological conditions, offering promising avenues for developing novel treatment strategies that combine traditional wisdom with contemporary biomedical research.
    VL  - 13
    IS  - 6
    ER  - 

    Copy | Download

Author Information
  • Sections