Anxiolytic effects of Electroacupuncture revealed through hippocampal metabolomics and 16S rRNA sequencing

Anxiety disorder is a mental disease, which is a kind of neurosis dominated by anxiety, and its clinical manifestations are often widespread and persistent anxiety or recurrent panic disorder. Electroacupuncture (EA) is a traditional Chinese medicine treatment, which is widely used to treat diseases of the nervous system. The treatment of anxiety disorder based on Gut microbiota has gradually become a new target. However, there is currently a lack of exploration of the anti anxiety mechanism of EA in the context of the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Therefore, this study used a combination of hippocampal metabolomics and 16S rRNA sequencing method to preliminarily explore the anxiolytic effects of EA. This study found that EA can play an anxiolytic role by improving the pathological damage in the hippocampal CA1 area; regulating the metabolism of taurine and hypotaurine, cysteine and methionine, and glycine, serine and threonine; improving the imbalance of gut microbiota; recovering some Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) levels; and alleviating neuroinflammation. The study preliminarily revealed the therapeutic characteristics of EA with multiple targets and mechanisms, providing scientific basis for subsequent basic research and clinical applications.