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. 2022 Mar 14:2022:9352833.
doi: 10.1155/2022/9352833. eCollection 2022.

Effects of Electroacupuncture on the Gut Microbiome in Cisplatin-Induced Premature Ovarian Failure Mice

Qi-da He  1   2 , Jing-Jing Guo  3 , Qi Zhang  3 , Yuen-Ming Yau  3 , Yue Yu  1   2 , Zheng-Hong Zhong  1   2 , Zi-Yan Tong  1   2 , Zong-Bao Yang  3 , Min Chen  1   2
Affiliations

Effects of Electroacupuncture on the Gut Microbiome in Cisplatin-Induced Premature Ovarian Failure Mice

Qi-da He et al. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. .

Abstract

Growing evidence showed that the gut microbiota was associated with premature ovarian failure (POF). Many clinical types of research had shown that electroacupuncture was effective in the treatment of POF. However, there was little research on regulating the gut microbiome of POF mice by electroacupuncture. Therefore, this study attempted to verify whether electroacupuncture could regulate the gut microbiome in POF mice. POF mice were established by being injected intraperitoneally with cisplatin (2 mg/kg) for 2 weeks. Guanyuan (CV4) and Sanyinjiao (SP6) were selected in the electroacupuncture-at-the-acupoints group (EA group). Nonacupoints around CV4 and SP6 were selected in the electroacupuncture-at-the-nonacupoints group (EN group). The EA group and EN group were treated for 3 weeks. The ovarian function was evaluated by histopathological and molecular assays. Meanwhile, the gut microbiome of all mice was detected by 16S rDNA sequencing. The results showed that EA could restore the estrous cycle and reduce the number of atresia follicles in POF mice. The levels of serum follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone were decreased by EA. As well, the levels of serum estradiol, anti-Mullerian hormone, and β-glucuronidase were increased by EA. The relative expressions of PI3K, AKT, and mTOR were increased to promote the proliferation of ovarian cells in the EA group. According to the results of 16S rDNA sequencing, the abundance and diversity of the gut microbiome could be regulated by EA. The relative abundance of beneficial bacteria was increased by EA. The KEGG pathway analysis showed that the gut microbiome associated with the estrogen signaling pathway, oocyte maturation, and PI3K-AKT signaling pathway was regulated by EA.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The pathological examination of ovaries in mice of each group: (a) and (b) mean control group; (c) and (d) mean POF group; (e) and (f) mean EA group; and (g) and (h) mean EN group.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The relative expressions of PI3K, AKT, and mTOR in the ovary. ∗ means significantly different from the control group; # means significantly different from the POF group; and △ means significantly different from the EA group.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The levels of serum (a) FSH, (b) LH, (c) E2, (d) AMH, and (e) β-glucuronidase in different groups. ∗ means significantly different from the control group; # means significantly different from the POF group; and △ means significantly different from the EA group.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Sobs index and rarefaction curves of the gut microbiome at OTU level. ∗ means significantly different from the control group; # means significantly different from the POF group; and △ means significantly different from the EA group.
Figure 5
Figure 5
ANOSIM and PCA between the POF group and EA group ((a) and (b)) and between the POF group and EN group ((c) and (d)).
Figure 6
Figure 6
The histogram of LDA value distribution and the three dominant microbiomes with the highest relative expression were selected in each group.
Figure 7
Figure 7
The KEGG database was applied to compare the levels of gut microbiome, related to estrogen signaling pathway, oocyte maturation, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway in each group. ∗ means significantly different from the control group; # means significantly different from the POF group; and △ means significantly different from the EA group.
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