Abstract:
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the clinical efficacy of acupuncture combined with modified Zhibai Dihuang Decoction in treating girls with Tanner stage 4 idiopathic precocious puberty(ICPP) within six months after menarche and to explore its possible mechanisms of action.
METHODS A total of 60 female children with Tanner stage 4 ICPP within six months after menarche, admitted to Henan Children’s Hospital from January 2024 to January 2025, were collected and randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, with 30 cases in each group. The observation group received acupuncture combined with modified Zhibai Dihuang Decoction(1 dose/day, taken orally in two doses), while the control group received intramuscular injections of triptorelin acetate(50 µg·kg−1, once every 28 days), with a treatment period of six months. Height(H), weight(W), bone age(BA), height increase(△H), weight gain(△W), bone age progression(△BA), breast volume(BV), maximum follicle diameter(MFD), uterus volume(UV), ovarian volume(OV), changes in menarche and serum levels of luteinizing hormone(LH), estradiol(E2), follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH), insulin-like growth factor-1(IGF-1), anti-mullerian hormone(AMH), kisspeptin-1(Kiss-1), and G protein-coupled receptor 54(GPR54) were observed before and after treatment in both groups.
RESULTS Both treatments effectively inhibited bone age progression in girls with Tanner stage 4 ICPP, with no statistically significant difference between groups. However, after treatment, height growth in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group, while weight gain was significantly lower, with statistically significant differences(P<0.01); serum sex hormone levels in both groups were significantly reduced after treatment, with statistically significant differences(P<0.01). Compared with the control group after treatment, LH was significantly reduced and IGF-1 was significantly increased in the observation group, with statistically significant differences(P<0.01); compared with before treatment, there were no statistically significant differences in UV, LBV, RBV, LMFD and RMFD between the two groups after treatment; post-treatment comparison between groups showed no statistically significant differences in UV, LBV, RBV, LMFD and RMFD between the observation group and the control group; the clinical efficacy(inhibiting bone age progression, promoting height growth, inhibiting sex hormone levels) of the observation group was superior to that of the control group(P<0.01), and the safety profile(controlling rapid weight gain, glucose and lipid metabolism) was better than that of the control group(P<0.01); compared with before treatment, serum levels of KiSS-1, GPR54 and AMH in both groups were significantly reduced, with statistically significant differences(P<0.01).
CONCLUSION For girls with precocious puberty at Tanner stage 4 within six months of menarche, acupuncture combined with modified Zhibai Dihuang decoction treatment shows comparable bone age inhibition to GnRHα while demonstrating overall advantages in promoting height growth, controlling weight, regulating IGF-1 and LH levels, and maintaining safety in glucose and lipid metabolism. This provides clinical reference for the treatment of such patients, pending further verification through multi-centre, large-sample, long-term follow-up studies. Its mechanism may be related to the inhibition of the KISS-1/GPR54 signalling pathway.