Effect of Acupuncture on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Animal Models: A Systematic Review

Li, Y. and Zhang, L. and Gao, J. and Yan, J. and Feng, X. and He, X. and Jin, H. and Li, X. and Cui, Z. and Zhao, J. and Liu, F. and Liu, X. and Liu, Y. and Ren, W. and Liu, S.

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med (2021) 2021: 5595478

DOI: 10.1155/2021/5595478

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders among women of reproductive age. As a widely used complementary and alternative therapy, acupuncture is increasingly used to treat PCOS. However, the effect of acupuncture in treating PCOS is uncertain, and the mechanisms are unclear. This systematic review aims to determine the efficacy of acupuncture on PCOS in animal preclinical models. METHODS: Experimental animal studies of acupuncture in PCOS animal models were searched in PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and the Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database from inception to December 2020. The risk of bias was assessed using the Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory Animal Experimentation (SYRCLE) risk of bias tool. RESULTS: A total of 358 studies were screened based on the title and abstract, and 31 studies were included. A total of 722 animals were involved, and all studies used either Wistar rats or SD rats. Twenty-six studies used electroacupuncture, 9 studies used manual acupuncture, and 5 of them employed both electroacupuncture and manual acupuncture. A total of 22 acupoints were involved; 7 studies followed the modern acupuncture pattern, and the rest followed classic acupuncture theory. CONCLUSIONS: The present review summarizes the current evidence of the effects of acupuncture on PCOS in animal models. Unfortunately, we could not draw a definite conclusion due to the methodological weakness of the included studies and the high heterogeneity. Well-designed studies are needed in the future to fill this gap.

Citation

Li, Y., Zhang, L., Gao, J., Yan, J., Feng, X., He, X., Jin, H., Li, X., Cui, Z., Zhao, J., Liu, F., Liu, X., Liu, Y., Ren, W., & Liu, S. (2021). Effect of Acupuncture on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Animal Models: A Systematic Review. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2021, 5595478. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/5595478 Animals, Ovary, Animal Shells, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Keywords

• Animals
• Ovary
• Animal Shells
• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome