ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microorganisms in Vertebrate Digestive Systems
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1541958
Effect of Acupuncture at Back-Shu Points on Gut Microbiota in Insomnia Model Rats Based on Metagenomic Sequencing Technology Running head: Effect of Back-Shu Acupuncture on Gut Microbiota in Insomnia Rats
Provisionally accepted
- Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, China
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Background: Increasing evidence indicates a bidirectional interaction between the gut microbiota and sleep regulation via the microbiota -gut-brain axis. Acupuncture is widely used to treat insomnia, and its efficacy may be mediated in part by modulation of the gut mic robiota and its metabolic pathways.: A rat model of insomnia was established by intraperitoneal injection of para-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA). Rats received acupuncture at Back-Shu points for two weeks. Sleep behavior was assessed using the pentobarbital-induced sleep test, and fecal samples w ere collected for metagenomic sequencing to analyze changes in gut microbial composition and function before and after acupuncture. Results: Compared with the model group, acupuncture significantly shortened sleep latency and prolonged sleep duration. Metagenomic analysis revealed that acupuncture partially restored the PCPA -induced decline in α-diversity and markedly altered β -diversity. Functionally, acupuncture enriched beneficial taxa such as Lactobacillus johnsonii and Ligilactobacillus murinus, and promoted pathways involved in tryptophan and glutamate metabolism as well as short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) synthesis. These changes may act by restoring neurotransmitter balance, strengthening gut barrier integrity, and modulating immune responses. Notably, SCFAs can activate G-protein-coupled receptors to suppress overactivation of the hypothalamicpituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, counteracting insomnia-related pathophysiology.Conclusion: Acupuncture at Back-Shu points ameliorates PCPA-induced insomnia-like behavior in rats and beneficially remodels gut microbiota structure and metabolic function. These findings support a key role for the microbiota-gut-brain axis in acupuncture's regulation of sleep and provide a theoretical basis for developing microbiota -targeted adjunctive therapies for insomnia.
Keywords: Metagenome, Acupuncture, back -shu points, insomnia, Gut Microbiota
Received: 09 Jan 2025; Accepted: 21 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Shangwen, Qian, Li, Li, Li and Gao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Qi Shangwen, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, China
Xiyan Gao, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, China
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