Electroacupuncture Improves Intestinal Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury via cGAS-STING Pathway

Background: Electroacupuncture (EA) is a treatment method that stimulates acupuncture points to mobilize resistance to disease and bioelectricity to achieve therapeutic effects. Related studies have found that EA has a certain therapeutic effect on ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury of some organs. Among the internal organs, the intestine is the most sensitive to ischemic injury. Therefore, this study aims to preliminarily explore the effects and mechanisms of EA on intestinal I/R injury through animal experiments and provide a theoretical basis for the clinical treatment of intestinal I/R injury.

Methods: In this study, the intestinal I/R injury model was established by occluding the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) of mice for 45 min and then reperfusing for 2 h. By applying EA to the bilateral Zusanli in mice, this study aimed to investigate its therapeutic effects on intestinal I/R injury.

Key results: The results showed that EA can improve the survival and nutritional status of mice with intestinal I/R injury. EA alleviated intestinal tissue damage and the inflammatory response induced by intestinal I/R injury and protected the integrity of intestinal epithelial cells and intestinal transport function. Inflammatory factors induced by intestinal I/R injury were associated with increased levels of STING, and EA could inhibit the increase in STING protein levels and the phosphorylation of downstream factors IRF3 and TBK1 of the cGAS-STING pathway.

Conclusions: EA can alleviate intestinal tissue damage caused by intestinal I/R in mice, protect the intestinal epithelial barrier, and improve intestinal transit function. The underlying mechanism may involve inhibition of cGAS-STING pathway activation and reduction of the inflammatory response.

Zusanli; cGAS‐STING pathway; electroacupuncture; intestinal ischemia/reperfusion injury.