Electroacupuncture ameliorates peptic ulcer disease in association with gastroduodenal microbiota modulation in mice

Abstract

Peptic ulcer disease (PUD) is a common disease and frequently encountered in the clinic. Accumulating evidence suggests that PUD is associated with the gastrointestinal microbiota. Electroacupuncture (EA) is an improved version of acupuncture, which can improve the clinical effect by increasing the stimulation and delivering appropriate electrical pulses to needles. This method has been widely used in the treatment of peptic ulcer disease. However, its effect on gastrointestinal microbiota remains unclear. Therefore, in the present study, the ameliorative effect of EA was evaluated on the gastroduodenal mucosa, and the regulatory effect of the gastroduodenal microbiota was assessed in PUD mice. A total of 48 male Kun Ming mice were randomly divided into the following groups: normal control group (NC), PUD model group (PUD), Shousanli group (LI10), and Zusanli group (ST36) (n=12). The mice in groups LI10 and ST36 were treated with EA at LI10 and ST36, respectively. This intervention was continued for 7 days. Subsequently, we evaluated the morphological changes in the gastric and duodenal mucosa, and specific indices were measured, including the contents of serum dopamine (DA), the trefoil factor (TFF), and the vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). In addition, the gastric and duodenal microbiota were assessed via 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing. The results indicated that EA at LI10 or ST36 significantly reduced the injury of the gastroduodenal mucosa in PUD mice. The gastric microbial community structure of the groups LI10 and ST36 was similar to that of the NC group following comparison with the microbial community structure of the PUD model group. Moreover, the abundance of Firmicutes in the stomach was decreased, whereas that of Bacteroidetes was increased, and the abundance of Firmicutes in the duodenum was decreased. Furthermore, the microbial diversity and richness of the gastric microbiota in group LI10 were also significantly increased, and the serum dopamine and trefoil factor levels in group ST36 were significantly increased. Therefore, it is suggested that EA ameliorating PUD is in association with improving the levels of DA and TFF and regulating the relative abundances of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes in the gastric microbiota.

Electroacupuncture and human iPSC-derived small extracellular vesicles regulate the gut microbiota in ischemic stroke via the brain-gut axis

“…The dysfunctional intestinal microflora can stimulate inflammatory response, change the intestinal mucosal permeability, affect the inflammatory factors to aggravate the cerebral ischemia injury, and then feed back to the gut and microflora, and the cycle repeats. Acupuncture and moxibustion can regulate the various links of the cerebral and intestinal axis and block this vicious cycle (62,63).…”

Acupuncture treatment for post-stroke depression: Intestinal microbiota and its role

“…According to existing studies, acupuncture can treat diseases by conducting information exchange between immune-neuro-endocrine-microbial metabolism through brain-intestinal interaction ( Xu and Lu, 2020 ). For example, acupuncture affects the abundance and structure of intestinal bacteria, balancing the number and proportion of probiotics and pathogens in the host body ( Xie et al, 2020 ; Wang J. M. et al, 2021 ; Wang T. Q. et al, 2021 ; Li et al, 2022d ). In turn, acupuncture reverses a variety of intestinal flora metabolic disorders caused by various diseases by restoring the function and metabolic pathway of key metabolites in human body ( Xu et al, 2017 ; Si et al, 2022 ).…”

“… Li et al (2022d) detected the diversity and richness of microflora in the stomach and duodenum after electroacupuncture, as well as the content changes of VIP, DA, and trilobal factor (TFF) in serum. Researchers found that electroacupuncture increased TFF and DA levels in the serum, as well as the diversity and richness of stomach microbiota.…”

Similarities between Ashi acupoints and myofascial trigger points: Exploring the relationship between body surface treatment points

“…While these acupuncture points also have distal effects based on the traditional meridian, such as the LI10 to treat diseases in the large intestine and other digestive systems. Recent study showed that in mice with peptic ulcer disease, electroacupuncture in LI10 resulted to a significant reduce in the injury of the gastroduodenal mucosa and an increase in the diversity of gastric microbiota ( Li et al, 2022 ).…”