Peptic ulcer disease (PUD) is a common disease and frequently encountered in the clinic. Accumulating evidence suggests that PUD is associated with the gastrointestinal microbiota. Electroacupuncture (EA) is an improved version of acupuncture, which can improve the clinical effect by increasing the stimulation and delivering appropriate electrical pulses to needles. This method has been widely used in the treatment of peptic ulcer disease. However, its effect on gastrointestinal microbiota remains unclear. Therefore, in the present study, the ameliorative effect of EA was evaluated on the gastroduodenal mucosa, and the regulatory effect of the gastroduodenal microbiota was assessed in PUD mice. A total of 48 male Kun Ming mice were randomly divided into the following groups: normal control group (NC), PUD model group (PUD), Shousanli group (LI10), and Zusanli group (ST36) (n=12). The mice in groups LI10 and ST36 were treated with EA at LI10 and ST36, respectively. This intervention was continued for 7 days. Subsequently, we evaluated the morphological changes in the gastric and duodenal mucosa, and specific indices were measured, including the contents of serum dopamine (DA), the trefoil factor (TFF), and the vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). In addition, the gastric and duodenal microbiota were assessed via 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing. The results indicated that EA at LI10 or ST36 significantly reduced the injury of the gastroduodenal mucosa in PUD mice. The gastric microbial community structure of the groups LI10 and ST36 was similar to that of the NC group following comparison with the microbial community structure of the PUD model group. Moreover, the abundance of Firmicutes in the stomach was decreased, whereas that of Bacteroidetes was increased, and the abundance of Firmicutes in the duodenum was decreased. Furthermore, the microbial diversity and richness of the gastric microbiota in group LI10 were also significantly increased, and the serum dopamine and trefoil factor levels in group ST36 were significantly increased. Therefore, it is suggested that EA ameliorating PUD is in association with improving the levels of DA and TFF and regulating the relative abundances of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes in the gastric microbiota.

Background. Stress ulcer (SU) is a serious gastrointestinal mucosal lesion under acute stress. Huanglian decoction is a famous traditional Chinese medicine prescription, which has been used to treat digestive system diseases for thousands of years. Many clinical cases have proved that Huanglian decoction has a good effect on SU. Some studies have shown that the intestinal bacteria will be changed accordingly when the gastrointestinal mucosa is damaged. However, there are few published reports on the effect of the intestinal microbiome with SU mice that were treated by Huanglian decoction. In this study, we investigated the effect of the fecal microbiome in mice with SU by the 16S rDNA sequencing technology. Methods. Male KM mice were induced by cold-restraint stress except for the normal control group and then treated by Huanglian decoction (Group HD) and Esomeprazole magnesium solution (Group ES) separately for 7 days. 16S rDNA sequencing technology analysis was applied to evaluate the changes of bacterial flora in mice feces. And, histopathological methods and molecular biological detection methods were also performed. Results. Huanglian decoction could help to repair the gastric mucosal injury and regulate the relative content of TNF-α and IL-1β. Moreover, Huanglian decoction could increase the relative abundance of intestinal probiotics in the intestine of mice with SU, especially in Verrucomicrobiae and Akkermansia. Conclusions. Huanglian decoction might effectively promote the repair of gastrointestinal mucosal injury and regulate the number and species of intestinal bacteria to maintain the stability of gastrointestinal microecology.

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