Electroacupuncture Improves Gastrointestinal Motility in Rats with Functional Dyspepsia via the GDNF/GFRα1/PI3K/Akt...

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Neuroscience
• Integrative Medicine

Background:

• Abnormal gastrointestinal motility is a key factor in functional dyspepsia (FD) pathogenesis.
• Electroacupuncture (EA) shows promise for FD treatment, but its underlying mechanisms require clarification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the specific mechanism by which EA improves gastrointestinal motility in a rat model of FD.

Main Methods:

• Established an FD rat model using multifactorial stress.
• Administered EA at specific acupoints (ST36, LR3) and control points.
• Assessed gastrointestinal motility, morphology, and gene/protein expression (Western blotting, qPCR, immunofluorescence).

Main Results:

• EA at ST36 and LR3 significantly enhanced gastrointestinal motility in FD rats.
• EA upregulated key proteins and mRNA levels: glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), GFRα1, PI3K, and Akt.
• EA increased the number of enteric glial cells (EGCs).

Conclusions:

• EA improves gastrointestinal motility in FD by activating the GDNF/GFRα1/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.
• EA increases EGCs, contributing to the observed therapeutic effects in FD.