Acupuncture regulates gut microbiota and metabolites in a rat model of chronic migraine.

IF 2.6 3区医学 Q2 INTEGRATIVE & COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE

Acupuncture in Medicine Pub Date : 2026-04-10 DOI:10.1177/09645284261423204

Hao Zheng, Zhe Wang, Shi-Jie Wei, Li-Xia Huang, Meng Han, Yu-Kuan Zhang, Wen-Jun Bai, Jing Han

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of acupuncture on a rat model of chronic migraine (CM) and explore the underlying mechanism of action from the perspective of the gut-brain axis.

Methods: A total of 24 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly allocated into control, model and acupuncture groups (n = 8 each). The CM model was established by intraperitoneal injection of nitroglycerin (NTG). Acupuncture was administered at GV20 and bilateral PC6/LR3/ST36 for rats in the acupuncture group once a day for 9 days. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in plasma. A combination of 16S rDNA sequencing and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) metabolomics was adopted to investigate the role of the gut-brain axis in migraine chronification and the effect of acupuncture on CM.

Results: Acupuncture treatment significantly attenuated hyperalgesia in CM model rats and regulated serum levels of brain-gut peptides, including 5-HT, CGRP and VIP. Furthermore, the gut microbial community structure and metabolic profile changed in CM rats and acupuncture impacted the changes. Notably, acupuncture modulated 10 gut microbial genera and 13 fecal metabolites.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that the gut-brain axis may play an important role in the chronification of migraine, and the regulation of gut microbiota and metabolites may be one of the mechanisms underlying the analgesic effect of acupuncture in CM.

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针刺调节慢性偏头痛大鼠模型的肠道微生物群和代谢物。

目的：观察针刺对慢性偏头痛大鼠模型的影响，并从肠脑轴角度探讨其作用机制。方法：将24只雄性SD大鼠随机分为对照组、模型组和针刺组，每组8只。采用硝酸甘油（NTG）腹腔注射建立CM模型。针刺组大鼠GV20和双侧PC6/LR3/ST36处针刺，每天1次，连用9天。采用酶联免疫吸附法（ELISA）检测大鼠血浆5-羟色胺（5-HT）、降钙素基因相关肽（CGRP）和血管活性肠肽（VIP）水平。采用16S rDNA测序和液相色谱-质谱（LC-MS）代谢组学相结合的方法研究肠脑轴在偏头痛慢性化中的作用以及针刺对CM的影响。结果：针刺治疗能显著减轻CM模型大鼠痛觉过敏，调节血清5-羟色胺、CGRP、VIP等脑肠肽水平。此外，CM大鼠的肠道微生物群落结构和代谢谱发生了变化，针刺对这些变化有影响。值得注意的是，针灸调节了10种肠道微生物属和13种粪便代谢物。结论：这些发现提示肠脑轴可能在偏头痛的慢性化过程中起重要作用，肠道菌群和代谢产物的调节可能是针刺镇痛CM的机制之一。

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

Acupuncture in Medicine INTEGRATIVE & COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE-

CiteScore

4.70

自引率

4.00%

发文量

审稿时长

6-12 weeks

期刊介绍： Acupuncture in Medicine aims to promote the scientific understanding of acupuncture and related treatments by publishing scientific investigations of their effectiveness and modes of action as well as articles on their use in health services and clinical practice. Acupuncture in Medicine uses the Western understanding of neurophysiology and anatomy to interpret the effects of acupuncture.