Effects of Unilateral and Bilateral Sacral Nerve Stimulation on Defecation and Microbiota in Constipated Dogs

IF 3.7 3区医学 Q2 CLINICAL NEUROLOGY

Neuromodulation Pub Date : 2026-10-01 Epub Date: 2025-12-04 DOI:10.1016/j.neurom.2025.10.065

Ting Yi MD, Xiaojuan Guo PhD, Yanbin Fang MM, Hanwei Liang MM, Yang Lu PhD, Xiaolu Zhang MM, Han Cao PhD, Jinzhe Liu PhD, Qiyue Wang MM, Youge Qu PhD, Xuan Jiang MD

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objectives

This study aims to explore potential differences in therapeutic efficacy and impact on intestinal microbiota between unilateral and bilateral sacral nerve stimulation (uSNS and bSNS) in the treatment of constipation.

Materials and Methods

Dual-channel sacral nerve stimulators were implanted in six beagles, while constipation was induced using compound diphenoxylate and alosetron hydrochloride. Using a randomized crossover design, dogs (total n = 6) underwent uSNS and bSNS interventions sequentially, with ten-day washout periods. Data collection spanned four stages: baseline, constipation, uSNS treatment, and bSNS treatment. Measured parameters included the number of defecations, Bristol Stool Form Scale (BSFS) scores, total gastrointestinal transit time (TGTT), short-chain fatty acid concentrations (quantified via liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry), and intestinal microbiota levels (assessed by 16S ribosomal RNA [rRNA] V3–V4 region sequencing).

Results

Compared with the baseline stage, the constipation stage showed a reduced number of defecations, lower BSFS scores, and prolonged TGTT (p < 0.05). Sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) improved BSFS scores and shortened TGTT in constipated dogs, but only bSNS showed statistically significant changes relative to the constipation stage (p < 0.05). Moreover, bSNS shortened TGTT significantly more than uSNS (p < 0.05). 16S rRNA sequencing revealed that constipation altered the intestinal microbiota composition. In constipated dogs, Blautia abundance and the concentrations of butyrate and valerate were lower than those at baseline (p < 0.05). After SNS treatment, these measures increased without reaching statistical significance (p > 0.05).

Conclusions

bSNS improved BSFS scores and TGTT in constipated dogs and was superior to uSNS for TGTT. SNS may also beneficially modulate intestinal microbiota, which warrants confirmation in larger studies.

查看原文本刊更多论文

单侧和双侧骶神经刺激对便秘犬排便和微生物群的影响。

目的：本研究旨在探讨单侧和双侧骶神经刺激（uSNS和bSNS）治疗便秘的疗效差异及对肠道菌群的影响。材料与方法：采用双通道骶神经刺激器植入6只比格犬，并用复方地苯氧诺酯联合盐酸阿洛司琼诱导便秘。采用随机交叉设计，狗（共n = 6）依次接受uSNS和bSNS干预，洗脱期为10天。数据收集跨越四个阶段：基线，便秘，uSNS治疗和bSNS治疗。测量参数包括排便次数、布里斯托大便形式量表（BSFS）评分、总胃肠运输时间（TGTT）、短链脂肪酸浓度（通过液相色谱-串联质谱法定量）和肠道微生物群水平（通过16S核糖体RNA [rRNA] V3-V4区测序评估）。结果：便秘期与基线期比较，排便次数减少，BSFS评分降低，TGTT延长（p < 0.05）。骶神经刺激（SNS）可改善便秘犬的BSFS评分，缩短TGTT，但只有骶神经刺激（SNS）相对于便秘期有统计学意义（p < 0.05）。bSNS对TGTT的缩短显著高于uSNS （p < 0.05）。16S rRNA测序显示便秘改变了肠道菌群组成。便秘犬Blautia丰度、丁酸盐和戊酸盐浓度均低于基线水平（p < 0.05）。SNS治疗后，这些指标均有所增加，但差异无统计学意义（p < 0.05）。结论：bSNS改善便秘犬的BSFS评分和TGTT，并且在TGTT方面优于uSNS。SNS也可能有益地调节肠道微生物群，这需要在更大规模的研究中得到证实。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Neuromodulation 医学-临床神经学

CiteScore

6.40

自引率

3.60%

发文量

978

审稿时长

54 days

期刊介绍： Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface is the preeminent journal in the area of neuromodulation, providing our readership with the state of the art clinical, translational, and basic science research in the field. For clinicians, engineers, scientists and members of the biotechnology industry alike, Neuromodulation provides timely and rigorously peer-reviewed articles on the technology, science, and clinical application of devices that interface with the nervous system to treat disease and improve function.