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Introduction Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is considered the intermediate phase between normal age-related cognitive decline and dementia. Moxibustion has gained increased popularity for the management of MCI in China. This study aimed to evaluate the effects and safety of moxibustion on symptoms of MCI. Methods and analysis Four English databases and six Chinese databases will be searched from their inception to October 2019: Embase, MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chongqing VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, Wanfang Database, SinoMed, China Doctoral Dissertations Full-text Database and the China Master’s Theses Full-text Database. Only clinical randomised controlled trials and the first period in randomised cross-over trial related to moxibustion for MCI will be included. The primary outcomes include the improvement of cognitive function, as measured by validated assessment tools. The secondary outcomes include changes in the activity of daily living scale, effective rate and the incidences of adverse events. The selection of studies, data extraction and risk of bias assessment will be carried out by two independent reviewers. Review Manager V.5.3 software will be used for statistical analyses. Heterogeneity test, data synthesis and subgroup analysis will be performed if necessary. The risk of bias of included studies will be assessed by the Cochrane Handbook risk of bias tool. Evidence quality will be evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation system. Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval is not required as no private information from individuals are collected. The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal or disseminated in relevant conferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light reduces levels of type I collagen in the dermis and results in human skin damage and premature skin aging (photoaging). This leads to a wrinkled appearance through the inhibition of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)/Smad signaling. UV irradiation increases type I collagen degradation through upregulating matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) expression. Astragaloside IV (AST) is one of the major active components extracted from Astragalus membranaceus. However, its multiple anti-photoaging effects remain to be elucidated. In the present study, the effects of AST against collagen reduction in UV-induced skin aging in human skin fibroblasts were investigated. The expression of type I procollagen (COL1), MMP-1, TGF-βRII and Smad7 were determined using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, western blotting and ELISA, respectively. UV irradiation inhibits type I collagen production by suppressing the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway and increasing COL1 degradation by inducing MMP-1 expression. Transforming growth factor-β type II protein and COL1 mRNA decreased but MMP-1 and Smad7 levels increased in the photoaging model group, which was reversed by topical application of AST. AST prevents collagen reduction from UV irradiation in photoaging skin by improving TGF-β/Smad signaling suppression and inhibiting MMP-1, thus AST may be a potential agent against skin photoaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]