Background The pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC) is closely related to the gut microbiota. Moxibustion has been used to improve the inflammation and gastrointestinal dysfunctions in gastrointestinal disorders such as UC. In this study, we investigated whether moxibustion could improve the gut microbial dysbiosis induced by dextran sulphate sodium. Methods Twenty-five male rats were randomly assigned into five groups. The UC rat model was established by administering DSS solution. The rats in the moxibustion and normal rats with moxibustion groups were treated with moxibustion at Tianshu (bilateral, ST25) points, and the mesalazine group rats were treated with mesalazine once daily for 7 consecutive days. Disease activity index (DAI) and haematoxylin and eosin staining were used to evaluate the effect of moxibustion. Gut microbiota profiling was conducted by metagenomic high throughput sequencing technology. The gut microbiota composition, diversity and function were analyzed and compared using metagenomics methodologies. Results The DAI scores and histopathology scores in the moxibustion and mesalazine groups were significantly decreased compared with the UC group (P < 0.01). Moxibustion treatment increased abundance levels of Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Ascomycota, Synergistetes and decreased abundance of Firmicutes, Proteobacteria. At the genus level, the abundance of Bacteroides, Bacteroides_bacterium_M7, Prevotella, Bacteroidales_bacterium_H2, were increased and Bacteroides_bacterium_H3, Parabacteroides, Porphyromonas, Alistipes, Parasutterella were decreased in the UC group in comparsion with those in the NG group. Moxibustion increased the abundance of Bacteroides and Bacteroides_bacterium_H3 and decreased Bacteroides_bacterium_M7, Prevotella, Bacteroidales_bacterium_H2. In UC group, the specie Bacteroides_massiliensis was negatively (P < 0.05) correlated with IL-23, Bacteroides_eggerthii_CAG109 and Bacteroides_eggerthii were negatively (P < 0.05) correlated with TGF-β. And the species Prevotella_sp_CAG1031 and Bacteroides_bacterium_H2 were significant positively (P < 0.05) correlated with IL-23. In addition, compare with the normal group, genes involved in certain metabolic pathways, such as energy production and conversion, amino acid transport and metabolism, carbohydrate transport and metabolism, were under-represented in the UC group, and these changes in the metabolic pathways could be reversed by moxibustion treatment and mesalazine treatment. Conclusions Our findings suggest that moxibustion treatment may protect the host from mucosal inflammation by modulating the intestinal microbiota community.

Objective. To evaluate the effects of electroacupuncture and moxibustion on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its receptor tyrosine kinase receptor B (TrkB) protein and mRNA expressions in the colon and dorsal root ganglia of IBS rats with visceral hypersensitivity and to explore their underlying therapeutic mechanisms. Method. Forty Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal, model, model + mild moxibustion (MM), model + electroacupuncture (EA), and model + pinaverium bromide (PB) groups, with eight rats in each group. Chronic visceral hypersensitive IBS rat models were established by colorectal distension (CRD) with mustard oil clyster. Rats in the MM and EA groups, respectively, received moxibustion and electroacupuncture treatments on the Tianshu (ST25) and Shangjuxu (ST37) acupoints once daily for 7 days, and rats in the PB group received pinaverium bromide by oral gavage once daily for 7 consecutive days. After treatment, rats underwent abdominal withdrawal reflex (AWR) scoring under CRD and colon histopathological examination. Immunohistochemistry and real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) were used to study the protein and mRNA expressions of BDNF and TrkB in the rat colon and dorsal root ganglia. Results. Compared with the normal group, AWR scores and body weight were clearly increased in the model group rats (both P < 0.01 ). The body weights were significantly elevated ( P < 0.01 , P < 0.05 ), but the AWR scores were reduced ( P < 0.05 , P < 0.01 ), after electroacupuncture and mild moxibustion treatment. Compared with levels in normal rats, BDNF and TrkB protein and mRNA expressions were significantly elevated in the IBS model rats ( P < 0.01 ) but were downregulated after mild moxibustion, electroacupuncture, and Western medicine treatment ( P < 0.01 ). Conclusion. Electroacupuncture and moxibustion improved visceral hypersensitivity of IBS rats possibly by reducing BDNF and TrkB protein and mRNA expressions in the colon and dorsal root ganglia.

Objective. To identify differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in sera of patients with chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) and to explore acupuncture’s mechanism in CAG. Methods. Peripheral sera from 8 healthy volunteers (HC), 8 chronic nonatrophic gastritis (NAG) patients, 8 CAG patients, and 8 CAG patients who underwent acupuncture treatment (CAG + ACU) were collected followed by labeling with iTRAQ reagent for protein identification and quantification using two-dimensional liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (2D-LC-MS/MS). Representative DEPs were selected through bioinformatics, and proteins were verified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results. A total of 4,448 unique peptides were identified, corresponding to 816 nonredundant proteins. A 1.4-fold difference was used as the threshold. Compared with the HC group, 75 and 106 DEPs were identified from CAG and NAG groups, respectively. Compared with the CAG group, 110 and 66 DEPs were identified from the NAG and CAG + ACU groups, respectively. The DEPs were mainly involved in protein binding and the Notch signaling pathway-related proteins, and the upregulated proteins included actin-binding proteins (thymosin beta-4, tropomyosin-4, profilin-1, transgelin-2), while the downregulated proteins included Notch2 and Notch3. After acupuncture, the expression of these proteins in CAG patients was less differentiated from that in healthy people. The level of the above 6 proteins were verified by ELISA, and the results were similar to the results of iTRAQ analysis. Conclusions. Actin-binding proteins and Notch signaling pathway-related proteins were correlated with the development and progression of CAG and thus are potential diagnostic markers for CAG. Acupuncture may play a role in regulating actin-binding proteins and Notch signaling pathway-related proteins to play a therapeutic role in CAG.