Electroacupuncture modulates the intestinal microecology to improve intestinal motility in spinal cord injury rats

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a disease involving gastrointestinal disorders. The underlying mechanisms of the potential protective effects of electroacupuncture (EA) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) system on SCI remain unknown. We investigated whether EA improves gut microbial dysbiosis in SCI and regulates the 5-HT system. 16S rDNA gene sequencing was applied to investigate alterations in the gut microbiome of the rats. Faecal metabolites and the expression of the 5-HT system were detected. EA and faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) treatment facilitated intestinal transmission functional recovery and restored the colon morphology of SCI rats. The composition of the intestinal microbiota, including numbers of phylum Proteobacteria, class Clostridia, order Bacteroidales, and genus Dorea, were amplified in SCI rats, and EA and FMT significantly reshaped the intestinal microbiota. SCI resulted in disturbed metabolic conditions in rats, and the EA and FMT group showed increased amounts of catechin compared with SCI rats. SCI inhibited 5-HT system expression in the colon, which was significantly reversed by EA and FMT treatment. Therefore, EA may ameliorate SCI by modulating microbiota and metabolites and regulate the 5-HT system. Our study provides new insights into the pathogenesis and therapy of SCI from the perspective of microbiota and 5-HT regulation.