Intestinal Flora Reconfiguration via Electroacupuncture: A Strategy to Counteract Depressive-Like Symptoms in Rats

Mar 11, 2026Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment

Changing Gut Bacteria with Electroacupuncture to Reduce Depression-Like Symptoms in Rats

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Abstract

Electroacupuncture (EA) may alter the intestinal microbiota composition in rats exhibiting depressive behavior.

Changes in the gut microbiota community structure were observed in chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) rats treated with EA.
The modulation of specific bacterial abundance, particularly , is suggested to be associated with the gut-brain axis.
This research indicates a possible connection between stress, inflammation pathways, and microbial composition in the context of depression.

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BACKGROUND: Depression is a global health concern, and acupuncture has emerged as an effective treatment. The role of intestinal microbiota in depression remains unclear. This study, utilizing 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing, aimed to explore the relationship between electroacupuncture (EA) and depressive behavior by examining changes in the intestinal microbiota.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats were utilized, with 13 assigned to the normal control (NC) group. The remaining rats underwent a 28-day depression modeling process, and those exhibiting depressive symptoms were randomly divided into chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) and EA groups. The EA group received 14 days of treatment. Behavioral analyses were conducted on rats from the NC, CUMS, and EA groups to assess EA's effectiveness. Additionally, 16S rRNA sequencing was performed on randomly selected rats from each group.

RESULTS: By examining the behavior of 39 rats and the intestinal microbiota of 18 rats, we found that EA may alter the composition of the intestinal microbiota community structure in CUMS rats, particularly modulating the abundance ofin a manner potentially linked to gut-brain axis regulation, including stress- and inflammation-related pathways that may influence microbial composition.

CONCLUSION: The potential antidepressant impact of electroacupuncture (EA) might be linked to the modulation ofabundance within the brain-gut axis. Akkermansia

Key numbers

Increase in Sucrose Preference

Number of rats showing improved sucrose preference after EA treatment.

P = 0.03074

Decrease in Lactobacillus Abundance

Statistical significance of changes in Lactobacillus levels among the three groups.

Higher Microbial Diversity

Comparison of microbial taxonomic units in the NC group vs. CUMS and EA groups.

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Intestinal Flora Reconfiguration via Electroacupuncture: A Strategy to Counteract Depressive-Like Symptoms in Rats

Abstract

Key numbers

Full Text

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