Electroacupuncture may ease depressive-like behavior in CUMS rats while reshaping intestinal microbiota.
Evidence
Preclinical rat experiment measured behavior in 39 male Sprague-Dawley rats and 16S rRNA intestinal microbiota in 18 rats across normal control, CUMS, and 14-day electroacupuncture groups.
Caveat
The evidence is limited to a small rat model and microbiota subset, with the proposed -linked gut-brain mechanism described only as potential.
Simplified
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
26
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.
3
Higher Microbial Diversity
Comparison of microbial taxonomic units in the NC group vs. CUMS and EA groups.
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