Moxa smoke: Is it a beneficial or hazardous factor for infertility? A preclinical study on sperm parameters and sex hormones in male rats

Effect of moxa smoke on sperm parameters and oxidative stress in rats with asthenozoospermia

Asthenozoospermia is a leading cause of male infertility, characterized by reduced sperm motility. In this study, we determined sperm motility and the activities of antioxidant enzymes and oxidation products in the testis of rats with ornidazole (ORN)-induced asthenozoospermia and further examined and compared the differential effects of moxa smoke (MS) and cigarette smoke (CS) on sperm motility and oxidative stress (OS) of asthenozoospermic rats. The smoke intervention was initiated 11 days after intragastric administration of ORN, followed by the examination of testis index, sperm parameters, OS-related gene levels, and testicular histopathology. Sperm motility and antioxidant enzyme activities, as well as oxidation products significantly decreased in ORN-induced rats compared with MS-treated rats (p < .05-.001). MS treatment restored the reduced sperm motility and activities of glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase, but increased the malondialdehyde and nitric oxide synthetase levels in ORN-induced rats (p < .05-.001). Also, the histopathological changes in the testis of ORN-induced rats were improved by MS treatment. The study highlighted that MS was an effective factor in moxibustion therapy, which notably improved the sperm motility of asthenozoospermic rats by inhibiting OS in the reproductive system.

Chemical Fingerprint Profiles and Pharmacodynamic Investigation for Quality Evaluation of Moxa Smoke by UHPLC in a Rat Model of Superficial Infection

Introduction

Moxibustion, a traditional Chinese medicine technique, involves the use of moxa smoke from Folium Artemisia argyi to treat various disorders, especially superficial infections. However, there is a higher health risk for people exposed to high levels of moxa smoke for extended durations. Here, we report the first ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) fingerprint profiles and pharmacodynamic evaluation of moxa smoke, as well as evaluation of its aqueous solution on a rat model of superficial infection.

Methods

A novel method for moxa smoke fingerprint profiling was developed using UHPLC under characteristic wavelength. Chromatographic peaks were further analyzed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF/MS). 12 sample batches obtained from various Chinese provinces were then analyzed using similarity evaluation, clustering analysis, and principal component analysis. The pharmacodynamics of moxa smoke and moxa aqueous solution were investigated on a rat model of acute skin wound infection.

Results

UHPLC fingerprint profiles of 12 batches of moxa smoke were generated at 270 nm wavelength and 21 chromatographic peaks extracted as common peaks. Similarity between the 12 batches ranged from 0.341 to 0.982. Based on cluster analysis, the 12 batches of moxa smoke samples were clustered into five groups. Principal component analysis showed that the cumulative contribution of the three principal components reached 90.17%. Eigenvalues of the first, second, and third principal components were 10.794, 6.504, and 1.638, respectively. The corresponding variance contribution rates were 51.40%, 30.97%, and 7.80%, respectively. Pharmacological analysis found that wound healing was slow in the model group relative to the mupirocin ointment, moxa smoke, and aqueous moxa smoke solution groups. Histological analysis revealed markedly reduced tissue inflammation in rats treated with moxa smoke or its aqueous solution.

Conclusions

Moxa smoke and its aqueous solution significantly promote wound healing upon superficial infection. A novel quality control method for moxa smoke was established and evaluated for the first time. As its main effects are unchanged, the transformation of moxa smoke into aqueous moxa smoke improves safety and is a simple and controllable process.

Analysis of the Components in Moxa Smoke by GC-MS and Preliminary Discussion on Its Toxicity and Side Effects

Moxibustion plays an important role in the prevention and treatment of diseases and the promotion of human health. In this study, the components in moxa smoke from Jiangxi Poai Biotechnology Co., Ltd., namely, Qing moxa sticks, were absorbed by five solvents (cyclohexane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, anhydrous ethanol, and water) and identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The identification results of the smoke from the Qing moxa sticks that was absorbed in liquid are as follows: a total of 294 compounds were identified, including 139 in cyclohexane, 145 in ethyl acetate, 60 in n-butanol, 89 in anhydrous ethanol, and 77 in water, and of those, 112 toxic compounds were identified. Furthermore, Ingenuity Pathway Analysis software and the PubChem database were successfully applied to analyze the toxic compounds. There were 812 target proteins related to the toxic components, 25 molecular networks, and 54 biological pathways. The results showed that the toxic compounds of moxa smoke may have some side effects on the heart, liver, and kidney of humans. This study revealed that the components of moxa smoke are complex and diverse. Due to the findings of toxic compounds in moxa smoke, we recommend that moxibustion rooms should be equipped with ventilation equipment or enough artificial ventilation to ensure the health of patients and practitioners.

Heteroatom-doped porous carbons derived from moxa floss of different storage years for supercapacitors

Two novel carbons (MCs) derived from moxa floss of different storage years have been prepared by two low-cost and facile approaches, which are hydrothermal carbonization at a low temperature (200 °C) and direct pyrolysis at a moderate temperature (500 °C) followed by potassium hydroxide (KOH) activation strategy at a high temperature (800 °C), respectively. The physicochemical properties of MCs are investigated by Raman spectra, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms. Results show that MCs derived from moxa floss of different storage years by two facile approaches possess different morphologies: MCs by hydrothermal carbonization (denoted as MC-1, MC-2 and MC-3) exhibit porous nanosheet structures, the highest specific surface area is about 1788.6 m² g⁻¹, and the largest total pore volumes is around 0.8170 cm³ g⁻¹, while MCs by direct pyrolysis (denoted as MC-4, MC-5 and MC-6) have basically blocky and rod-like morphologies, the highest specific surface area is about 1628.0 m² g⁻¹, and the largest total pore volume is around 0.7058 cm³ g⁻¹. However, despite the different morphologies, all MCs possess a similar hierarchical porous structure, numerous heteroatom groups and good electrical conductivity. Therefore, these low-cost, biomass-derived porous carbons with promising capacitive performance are used for supercapacitors application with high performance, for example, the as-assembled supercapacitor based on MC-5 exhibits a high specific capacitance of 288.3 F g⁻¹ at 0.25 A g⁻¹, an excellent rate performance of 243.5 F g⁻¹ even at 30 A g⁻¹ with 84.5% capacitance retention of its initial specific capacitance, and an outstanding long-term cycling stability with 98.7% capacitance retention after 10 000 cycles at 5 A g⁻¹. Furthermore, the maximum energy density for these supercapacitors with an aqueous electrolyte in a two-electrode system is about 10.0 W h kg⁻¹ at a power density of 70.3 W kg⁻¹. Therefore, this work opens up a whole new field for the applications of moxa floss and this novel concept of moxa floss use is an extremely promising strategy for developing high-performance carbons with porous structures and heteroatom-doping from renewable sources.

Two novel carbons (MCs) derived from moxa floss of different storage years have been prepared by two low-cost and facile approaches, which are hydrothermal carbonization and direct pyrolysis followed by KOH activation strategy, respectively.