ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microorganisms in Vertebrate Digestive Systems
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1642337
Electroacupuncture Pretreatment Ameliorates Anesthesia and Surgery‑Induced Cognitive Dysfunction in Aged Rats: Insights from Gut Microbiota Modulation
Provisionally accepted
- 1the First Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Hunan University, Changsha, China
- 2Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China
- 3Xiangtan Medical and Health Vocational and Technical College, Xiangtan, China
- 4Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
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Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) and gut microbiota in aged rats anesthetized with propofol. Methods: Forty 18-month-old male SD rats were randomly divided into four groups: Sham, Model (MD), Sham Electroacupuncture (JE), and Electroacupuncture (EA), with 10 rats in each group. The Sham group underwent a skin incision without surgery, while the MD, JE, and EA groups received propofol anesthesia followed by right tibial surgery. The EA group received electroacupuncture at Baihui, Shenmen, and bilateral Zusanli points for five days prior to surgery, while the JE group received acupuncture without electrical stimulation. Behavioral tests, including the Morris water maze and open field tests, were conducted at 1-, 2-, and 3-weeks post-surgery to assess cognitive function. Gut microbiota composition was analyzed using second-generation sequencing. Results: At one-week post-surgery, the MD, JE, and EA groups showed longer latencies and fewer crossings in the behavioral tests. However, at 3-and 4-weeks post-surgery, the EA group exhibited significantly reduced latency and increased crossing times compared to the MD and JE groups. Gut microbiome analysis revealed that the EA group had a higher relative abundance of Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria, and a reduced relative abundance of Unclassified Lactobacillaceae compared to the MD and JE groups. Conclusion: EA was associated with improved postoperative cognitive function in aged rats after propofol anesthesia and tibial surgery. These effects were accompanied by alterations in gut microbiota composition, suggesting a possible link with the gut– brain axis, although causality remains to be established.
Keywords: Electroacupuncture, Propofol anesthesia, Aged rats, postoperative cognitive dysfunction, Gut Microbiota
Received: 09 Jun 2025; Accepted: 20 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Lei, Li, Juan, Lei, Li and Ding. 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:
Honghui Li, 18593466743@163.com
Zhendong Ding, dingzhd66@csu.edu.cn
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