CASP3 and polycystic ovary syndrome: To further investigate the mechanism of action by which acupuncture inhibits the apoptosis of ovarian granulosa cells in rats with PCOS, we extracted primary ovarian granulosa cells from rats with PCOS after acupuncture intervention and detected the transcription of granulosa cell LncMEG3 and miR-21-3p, apoptotic proteins (including cleaved caspase-3, Bax and Bcl-2), mitochondrial membrane potential (JC-1), and TUNEL staining to detect early, mid and late-stage apoptosis.