Effects of inverse moxibustion on the translocation of telomerase from cardiomyocyte mitochondria of growing mice following exercise

We aimed to investigate the influence of inverse moxibustion on the translocation of telomerase from cardiomyocyte mitochondria of growing mice following exercise. Sixty mice were divided into six groups (n = 10 each). For the control groups, mice were handled each day, but not subjected to moxibustion. For the inverse moxibustion groups, Guan yuan and Zusanli acupuncture points were moxibusted daily using 10 columns. Mice were then subjected to the appropriate swimming exercise (or lack of exercise for the no exercise groups). Increased apoptosis was observed for the moderate exercise group compared with the no exercise control group and for the exhaustive exercise group compared with the moderate exercise group. For all paired groups, the application of inverse moxibustion led to a decrease in the rate of apoptosis. Additionally, reduced expression of the mitochondrial ND1 gene was observed for the moderate exercise group compared with the no exercise control group and for the exhaustive exercise group compared with the moderate exercise group. In contrast, for all paired groups, the application of inverse moxibustion led to an increase in the expression of the mitochondrial ND1 gene. TERT expression in whole cells and mitochondria was enhanced as the exercise intensity increased. Application of inverse moxibustion in the moderate and exhaustive exercise groups increased TERT expression compared with the moderate exercise and exhaustive exercise control groups, respectively. Moxibustion effectively protected the myocardial cells from high-intensity exercise-induced injury by reducing mitochondrial damage and cell apoptosis, increasing telomerase activity, and promoting mitochondrial translocation of telomerase.