Background and aim: The efficacy of electroacupuncture (EA) treatment in alleviating visceral hypersensitivity with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has been established. Abnormal bile acid metabolism and farnesoid X receptor (FXR) expression are recognized as potential contributors to visceral hypersensitivity in IBS. This study as a preclinical study of the IBS visceral hypersensitivity, explored the potential of EA to reduce visceral hypersensitivity in rats with IBS by improving bile acid metabolism and FXR expression. Methods：Heterotypic intermittent stress (HIS) for 9 days was used to induce visceral hypersensitivity in constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C). EA/Sham EA bilateral ST36 and LR3 acupoints began on the 5th day of HIS. Electromyography of the abdominal external oblique muscle and calcitonin gene-related peptide were used to assess colonic hypersensitivity. Colonoscopy and histopathological examination were used to evaluate pathological changes in the colon. Bile acid composition was analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS), while FXR expression in colon tissue was quantified through immunofluorescence and Western blot. Results: HIS induced visceral hypersensitivity in IBS-C rats. EA not only regulated bile acid levels in the feces of IBS-C rats, but it also had a downregulatory effect on the overexpression of FXR in the colon tissue of rats with IBS-C. The therapeutic effects were better than those of the sham EA. EA treatment alleviated visceral hypersensitivity in the colon of IBS-C rats. Conclusion: Our data suggested that EA normalised colonic bile-acid signaling and FXR protein expression in an IBS-C rat model, offering a mechanistic hypothesis for future clinical evaluation. Keywords: Electroacupuncture, Heterotypic intermittent stress, Constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome, Bile acid, Farnesoid X receptor
Jiang et al. (Thu,) studied this question.