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Updated: Jan 13, 2026
Electroacupuncture Combined with Chinese Medicine Ironing Therapy for Functional Constipation
Published on: July 5, 2024
The gut microbial profile and circulating metabolism are associated with functional constipation in children
Xiaolin Ye1, Tianzhuo Zhang1, Jin Zhou1
1Department of Gastroenterology, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing, China.
Background:
A growing body of evidence highlights the link between gut microbiome imbalances and constipation. However, the role of gut microbiota and its metabolic interactions in pediatric functional constipation (FC) remains incompletely understood.
Methods:
We recruited a total of 40 children with FC and 40 healthy children (CONT). 16SrRNA and metagenomic sequencing were used to evaluate the changes in the gut microbiota structure and gene function in FC patients. Differences in serum metabolite levels were analyzed via targeted metabolomic sequencing.
Results:
The FC group exhibited a decrease in gut microbiota diversity, an increase in Bacteroides and Prevotella abundances, depletion of genera such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium and an imbalance of related metabolic activities. Metabolomic analysis revealed that the levels of several metabolites, including taurine and glycochenodeoxycholic acid, which are involved in bile acid (BA) metabolic pathways, differed between the FC and CONT groups. Differences in metabolite levels were associated with changes in the abundances of specific bacteria and with intestinal dysfunction in FC patients.
Conclusion:
FC in children is associated with distinct gut microbiota alterations and dysregulated BA metabolism. These findings provide potential therapeutic targets for modulating the gut microbiome and metabolic pathways in FC management.
Impact:
This study offers a comprehensive perspective on the intricate relationship between microbial composition and metabolic pathways in the context of functional constipation in children. This study focuses on children, highlighting how disruptions in bile acid metabolism due to gut microbiota disorders are linked to the occurrence of functional constipation. These findings suggest that disturbances in bile acid metabolism may play a role in the mechanisms underlying functional constipation by impairing intestinal secretion and transport functions. This study offers a new way to study the effects of the gut microbiota, bile acid metabolism, and the gut‒brain axis.
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