Key Laboratory of Xin'an Medicine, the Ministry of Education and Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology (Brain diseases), Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, China.
Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, China.
J Neurophysiol. 2023 Aug 1;130(2):380-391. doi: 10.1152/jn.00156.2023. Epub 2023 Jul 12.
Electroacupuncture (EA) is well documented to treat irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). However, the mechanism of the central nervous system related to IBS and acupuncture stimulation is still not well known. In this study, a rat model of IBS was established by cold-restraint comprehensive stresses for 15 days, and it was found that the levels of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), corticosterone (CORT), and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) in the peripheral serum were increased; the visceral sensitivity was enhanced; and the intestinal motility was accelerated, specifically, there was an enhancement in the discharge frequency of neurons in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN). EA treatment for 3 days, 20 min/day, alleviated the increase in the levels of CRH, CORT, and ACTH in the peripheral serum of rats, reduced the visceral sensitivity of IBS rats, and inhibited colon movement and discharge frequency of the neurons in the PVN. In addition, EA could reduce the excitability of CRH neurons and the expression of corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 (CRHR1) and corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 2 (CRHR2) in PVN. At the same time, the expression of CRH, CRHR1, and CRHR2 in the peripheral colon was decreased. Taken together, EA appears to regulate intestinal functional activity through the central CRH nervous system, revealing the central regulation mechanism of EA in IBS rats, and providing a scientific research basis for the correlation among the meridians, viscera, and brain. The purpose of this research was to determine the central regulatory mechanism of electroacupuncture (EA) in rats with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Our results showed that combined with the serum changes in corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), corticosterone (CORT), and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), the improvement of IBS by EA was related to them. Furthermore, EA could regulate intestinal functional activity through the central CRH nervous system.
电针（EA）已被充分证明可治疗肠易激综合征（IBS）。然而，与 IBS 和针刺刺激相关的中枢神经系统机制仍不清楚。在这项研究中，通过 15 天的冷束缚综合应激建立了 IBS 大鼠模型，发现外周血清中促肾上腺皮质激素释放激素（CRH）、皮质酮（CORT）和促肾上腺皮质激素（ACTH）水平升高；内脏敏感性增强；肠动力加速，特别是室旁核（PVN）神经元的放电频率增加。EA 治疗 3 天，每天 20 分钟，可缓解大鼠外周血清中 CRH、CORT 和 ACTH 水平的升高，减轻 IBS 大鼠的内脏敏感性，抑制结肠运动和 PVN 神经元的放电频率。此外，EA 可降低 CRH 神经元的兴奋性和 PVN 中促肾上腺皮质激素释放激素受体 1（CRHR1）和促肾上腺皮质激素释放激素受体 2（CRHR2）的表达。同时，外周结肠中 CRH、CRHR1 和 CRHR2 的表达减少。综上所述，EA 似乎通过中枢 CRH 神经系统调节肠道功能活动，揭示了 EA 在 IBS 大鼠中的中枢调节机制，为经脉、内脏和大脑之间的相关性提供了科学研究依据。本研究旨在确定电针（EA）在肠易激综合征（IBS）大鼠中的中枢调节机制。我们的结果表明，结合促肾上腺皮质激素释放激素（CRH）、皮质酮（CORT）和促肾上腺皮质激素（ACTH）的血清变化，EA 改善 IBS 与它们有关。此外，EA 可以通过中枢 CRH 神经系统调节肠道功能活动。
