Electroacupuncture alleviates ulcerative colitis by targeting CXCL1: evidence from the transcriptome and validation

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Immunology
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease.
• Current treatments for UC have limitations.
• Identifying novel therapeutic targets and mechanisms is crucial for UC management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the core gene and underlying mechanisms of electroacupuncture (EA) in treating ulcerative colitis (UC).
• To investigate the role of immune infiltrating cells (IICs) in EA's therapeutic effects on UC.

Main Methods:

• Transcriptomics and bioinformatics analysis were used to identify core genes in a mouse model of UC treated with EA.
• Human transcriptome data and the ImmuCellAI database were utilized for verification and immune cell analysis.
• Immunofluorescence was employed to validate key findings.

Main Results:

• EA treatment significantly ameliorated UC symptoms in mice, including reduced disease activity index and improved colon histology.
• Joint bioinformatics analysis identified CXCL1 as the core differentially expressed gene.
• EA was found to inhibit CXCL1 expression, affecting immune cell infiltration and macrophage polarization via the Th1 cytokine IFN-γ.

Conclusions:

• CXCL1 is identified as a key molecular target of EA in UC treatment.
• EA exerts therapeutic effects by modulating immune responses, specifically involving Th1 cytokines like IFN-γ.
• These findings elucidate the immune mechanisms of EA for UC and suggest CXCL1 as a potential therapeutic target.