Abstract
To investigate the effect of sacral electroacupuncture (sEA) on the microbiota-gut-brain axis in the treatment of slow transit constipation, this study established a drug-induced model of slow transit constipation in rats and carried out sEA at the Baliao acupoints (BL31-BL34). On the 14th day of the therapeutic period (24 h fecal pellets), the aquaporin 3 (AQP3), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), and substance P (SP) transcripts from the distal colon and hypothalamus were analyzed. 16S rDNA has been widely used to analyze the diversity of the microbial communities. Therefore, in the present study, changes in the intestinal microbiota were analyzed by 16S rDNA gene sequencing. The results showed that sEA significantly increased the number of fecal pellets and the water content in the feces and reduced the reabsorption of intestinal water in 24 h. sEA also upregulated the level of SP mRNA expression in the distal colon and the hypothalamus, but downregulated the level of 5-HT mRNA expression in the distal colon. Moreover, sEA improved the Bacteroidetes to Firmicutes (B/F) ratio, which is beneficial to the general structure of the intestinal microflora. Our findings suggested that the microbiota-gut-brain axis constitutes a crucial pathological basis in the development of slow transit constipation. sEA improved the slow transit constipation by regulating the balance of the microbiota-gut-brain axis.
Highlights
Functional constipation (FC) is an idiopathic intestinal disease and with an increasing prevalence rate, year by year [1]
On the 14th day of the therapeutic period (24 h fecal pellets), the aquaporin 3 (AQP3), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), and substance P (SP) transcripts from the distal colon and hypothalamus were analyzed. 16S rDNA has been widely used to analyze the diversity of the microbial communities. erefore, in the present study, changes in the intestinal microbiota were analyzed by 16S rDNA gene sequencing. e results showed that sacral electroacupuncture (sEA) significantly increased the number of fecal pellets and the water content in the feces and reduced the reabsorption of intestinal water in 24 h. sEA upregulated the level of SP mRNA expression in the distal colon and the hypothalamus, but downregulated the level of 5-HT mRNA expression in the distal colon
Compared to the slow transit constipation (STC) model group, the number of 24 h fecal pellets in the sEA group was markedly increased (P < 0.05). e amount of 24 h fecal pellets was even higher in the mosapride group than that in the sEA group and the Bacillus licheniformis group (P < 0.05). ere is no significant difference in the 24 h fecal pellets between the sEA group and the Bacillus licheniformis group
Summary
Functional constipation (FC) is an idiopathic intestinal disease and with an increasing prevalence rate, year by year [1]. E clinical self-test report rate of FC is generally higher than that obtained from the Rome Diagnostic Criteria, a guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of functional gastrointestinal disorders. E disorder of gut-brain axis regulation is an essential pathological foundation of STC [1, 4]. Ese systems could regulate gastroenteric physiological functions and STC pathological processes [5, 8, 10]. Several findings demonstrated that the neural regulation of colon motility and the participation of brain-gut peptides played an important role in sacral neuromodulation [22, 23]. Their relationship to intestinal microflora remains unclear
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