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©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Clinical effect of acupuncture at ghost points combined with fluoxetine hydrochloride on mild-to-moderate depression
Yi Wang, Qun Lu, Ittipalanukul Penpat, Juan Wu, Dilinuer Abulikemu, Fei-Cui Zeng, Jia-Ying Huang, Zhi-Hai Hu
Yi Wang, Zhi-Hai Hu, Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Shanghai Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, The Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200082, China
Qun Lu, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Shanghai Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, The Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200082, China
Ittipalanukul Penpat, Department of Postgraduate Student, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
Juan Wu, Department of Radiology, Shanghai Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, The Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200082, China
Dilinuer Abulikemu, Department of General Practice, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai 200120, China
Fei-Cui Zeng, General Practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine, North Bund Street Community Health Service Center, Shanghai 200080, China
Jia-Ying Huang, General Practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Hongkou District Jiaxing Road Community Health Service Center, Shanghai 200082, China
Author contributions: Wang Y and Lu Q designed and completed the research; Penpat I, Wu J, Abulikemu D, Zeng FC, and Huang JY collected and analyzed the information and data; Hu ZH designed and reviewed the study.
Supported by the General Program of Shanghai Science and Technology Commission on Medical Innovation Research, No. 21Y11923500; the Second Round of the “National Medical Strong and Excellent” Three-Year Action Plan (2022-2024) of the Hongkou District of Shanghai Traditional Chinese Medicine Schools and Characteristic Technology Inheritance Support Construction Project, No. HKGYQYXM-2022-17; and the Shanghai Culture and Tourism Bureau.
Institutional review board statement: The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Shanghai Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 2021-053-1.
Informed consent statement: All study participants or their legal guardians provided written informed consent for personal and medical data collection before enrolling in the study.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: The clinical data used in this study can be obtained from the corresponding author upon request.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See:
https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/ Corresponding author: Zhi-Hai Hu, MM, Chief Physician, Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Shanghai Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, The Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 230 Baoding Road, Hongkou District, Shanghai 200082, China.
huzhihai19750805@163.com
Received: February 28, 2024
Revised: April 23, 2024
Accepted: May 9, 2024
Published online: June 19, 2024
Processing time: 112 Days and 2.1 Hours
BACKGROUND
Depression is a common, chronic, and recurrent mood disorder that has become a worldwide health hazard. Fluoxetine hydrochloride, a common treatment method, can inhibit 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) recycling in the presynaptic membrane; however, the efficacy of a single drug is inadequate. At present, mild-to-moderate depression can be treated with acupuncture of ghost caves, but the clinical curative effect of combined therapy with fluoxetine hydrochloride has not been sufficiently reported.
AIM
To evaluate the clinical effect of acupuncture at ghost points combined with fluoxetine hydrochloride in the treatment of mild-to-moderate depression.
METHODS
This retrospective study included 160 patients with mild-to-moderate depression who were admitted to Shanghai Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, between January 2022 and June 2023. Patients were separated into a single-agent group (fluoxetine hydrochloride treatment, n = 80) and a coalition group (fluoxetine hydrochloride treatment combined with acupuncture at ghost points, n = 80). Pre-treatment symptoms were recorded, and the clinical curative effect and adverse reactions [Asberg Antidepressant Side Effects Scale (SERS)] were assessed. Depression before and after treatment [Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD)-24], neurotransmitter levels [5-HT, norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA)], oxidative stress indicators [superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA)], and sleep quality [Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)] were compared.
RESULTS
The total efficacy rate was 97.50% in the coalition group and 86.25% in the single-agent group (P < 0.05). After 2, 4, 6, and 8 wk of treatment, the HAMD, self-rating depression scale, and SERS scores of the coalition and single-agent groups decreased compared with pre-treatment, and the decrease was more significant in the coalition group (P < 0.05). After 8 wk of treatment, the levels of NE, DA, 5-HT, and SOD in the coalition and single-agent groups increased, while the levels of MDA decreased; the increases and decrease in the coalition group were more significant (P < 0.05). The PSQI scores of the coalition and single-agent groups decreased, and the decrease was more significant in the coalition group (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION
Acupuncture at ghost points combined with paroxetine tablets can safely improve depressive symptoms and sleep disorders, regulate neurotransmitter levels, and reduce stress responses in patients with mild-to-moderate depression.
Core Tip: Depression is a common psychiatric disease that can manifest as low mood, decreased interest, and energy fatigue. The rates of suicide and self-harm associated with depression are very high. In this study, we found that, compared with fluoxetine treatment alone, acupuncture at ghost points combined with paroxetine hydrochloride can improve mild-to-moderate depression and sleep disturbance in patients, regulate neurotransmitter levels, reduce stress responses, and improve safety.
