{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,13]],"date-time":"2026-10-13T16:51:50Z","timestamp":1791910310556,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,8]],"date-time":"2026-07-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783468800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Med."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Purpose<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>To investigate the therapeutic efficacy of Modified Meridian-Guided Acupoint Pressing (MMGAP) in lumbar facet joint osteoarthritis (LFJ OA) and to explore its underlying mechanisms through integrated microbiomics and metabolomics.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Animal model study (urokinase-induced LFJ OA in SD rats) with MMGAP intervention, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), and mTORC1 inhibitor (rapamycin) validation. Histological, molecular, 16S rRNA sequencing, and UPLC-MS\/MS metabolomic analyses were carried out to assess relevant outcomes.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      MMGAP significantly reduced inflammatory cell infiltration in lumbar muscles\/facet joints, markedly downregulated serum IL-1\u03b2 and TNF-\u03b1 (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      &amp;lt; 0.05) as well as TRPV1 protein expression by &amp;gt;40% at the mRNA and protein levels. It reshaped gut microbiota (significantly elevated Observed Species, Shannon and Chao1 indices,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      &amp;lt; 0.05; distinct \u03b2-diversity clustering vs model group) and serum metabolomic profiles, enriching the mTOR signaling pathway. FMT from MMGAP-treated rats recapitulated therapeutic effects, while rapamycin mimicked MMGAP's anti-inflammatory\/analgesic actions.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>MMGAP alleviates LFJ OA through gut microbiota reshaping, serum metabolomic reprogramming, and mTORC1 pathway inhibition. These preclinical findings lay preliminary experimental groundwork supporting the research potential of MMGAP as a non-invasive candidate intervention for degenerative joint diseases.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2026.1862397","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,8]],"date-time":"2026-07-08T05:58:18Z","timestamp":1783490298000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Therapeutic effect of modified meridian-guided acupoint pressing on lumbar facet joint osteoarthritis: an integrated microbiomics and metabolomics analysis"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Yu","family":"Jiang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopedics, The 923rd Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force of Chinese People's Liberation Army","place":["Nanning, 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