Anxiety and depression frequently occur in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a disordered long‐term digestive disease affecting the stomach and intestine. The symptoms include stomach cramps, bloating, diarrhea/constipation, or both. There are four subcategories: irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (IBS‐D), irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS‐C), irritable bowel syndrome with mixed bowel habits (IBS‐M), and irritable bowel syndrome undefined subtype (IBS‐U). The coexistence of depression with IBS significantly impairs the patient′s quality of life. Although the underlying mechanisms of IBS are still not fully understood, complementary and alternative therapies, particularly acupuncture, have been shown to have remarkable efficacy in the management of IBS symptoms in clinical treatment. To explore the mechanisms whereby acupuncture could alleviate IBS‐D symptoms, we generated the IBS‐D rat model by acetic acid and wrap restraint, treated by acupuncture at Baihui (DU20), Tianshu (ST25), Zusanli (ST36), Shangjuxu (ST37), and Taichong (LR3). After 14 days of therapy, acupuncture dramatically reduced anxiety and clinical symptoms in IBS‐D rats as measured by the open‐field test (OFT), loose‐stool rate (LSR), and abdominal withdrawal reflex (AWR) score. Additionally, the expression of corticotropin‐releasing factor (CRF), calcitonin gene‐related peptide (CGRP), 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT), substance P (SP), and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in the hypothalamus and colon tissues of acupuncture‐treated IBS‐D rats was significantly downregulated, along with a decrease in the number of inflammatory mast cells. Our results suggest that acupuncture can effectively alleviate depression in IBS‐D rats by modulating the neuroimmune system and stabilizing immune reactions through the gut–brain axis.
Zhu et al. (Thu,) studied this question.
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