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Updated: Sep 10, 2025

Electroacupuncture Combined with Chinese Medicine Ironing Therapy for Functional Constipation
Published on: July 5, 2024
Multiomics-based investigation on the mechanism of Dachengqi decoction in improving constipation through the
Meiyu Wan1, Weijie Liu1, Ying Liu1
1Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 138 Xianlin Road, Nanjing 210023, PR China.
Objective:
Based on analyses of gut microbiota, fecal metabolomics and microbiota-gut-brain (MGB) axis, this study aimed to elucidate the potential mechanism of Dachengqi decoction (DCQ) in improving constipation.
Methods:
High performance liquid chromatography was used to determine the contents of 10 active ingredients in DCQ. Next, the effects of DCQ on constipation rats was evaluated, and the contents of brain-gut peptides in rat plasma were detected. Additionally, high-throughput 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing combined with UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS-based metabolomics was used to explore the changes of gut microbiota and fecal metabolites. The concentrations of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were quantified by HPLC, and key metabolic pathway enzymes and MGB axis-related biomarkers were evaluated by ELISA.
Results:
DCQ significantly alleviated loperamide-induced constipation in rats, reversed abnormalities in intestinal transport function and brain-gut peptides, improved colon pathological damage. And further investigation indicated that DCQ could improve the disorder of gut microbiota in constipated rats. DCQ could obviously reverse the abnormal fecal metabolism in constipation rats and regulate the levels of 55 different metabolites, which were mainly related to four metabolic pathways such as arachidonic acid metabolism. Moreover, DCQ could significantly elevate levels of SCFAs and modulate key MGB axis components by reducing cortisol concentration and increasing serotonin production, thereby effectively ameliorating constipation symptoms.
Conclusion:
DCQ could significantly improve the pathological symptoms of constipated rats via the MGB axis. Furthermore, it could remarkably reverse the disorder of gut microbiota and fecal metabolic profiles in constipated rats, which might contribute to ameliorate the constipation.
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