AUTHOR=Yang Liuyue , Ding Weihua , Dong Yuanlin , Chen Cynthia , Zeng Yanru , Jiang Zhangjie , Gan Shuyuan , You Zerong , Zhao Yilin , Zhang Yiying , Ren Xinghua , Wang Shiyu , Dai Jiajia , Chen Zhong , Zhu Shengmei , Chen Lucy , Shen Shiqian , Mao Jianren , Xie Zhongcong 

TITLE=Electroacupuncture attenuates surgical pain-induced delirium-like behavior in mice via remodeling gut microbiota and dendritic spine

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2022.955581

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2022.955581

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=<p>Surgical pain is associated with delirium in patients, and acupuncture can treat pain. However, whether electroacupuncture can attenuate the surgical pain-associated delirium <italic>via</italic> the gut–brain axis remains unknown. Leveraging a mouse model of foot incision-induced surgical pain and delirium-like behavior, we found that electroacupuncture stimulation at specific acupoints (e.g., DU20+KI1) attenuated both surgical pain and delirium-like behavior in mice. Mechanistically, mice with incision-induced surgical pain and delirium-like behavior showed gut microbiota imbalance, microglia activation in the spinal cord, somatosensory cortex, and hippocampus, as well as an enhanced dendritic spine elimination in cortex revealed by two-photon imaging. The electroacupuncture regimen that alleviated surgical pain and delirium-like behavior in mice also effectively restored the gut microbiota balance, prevented the microglia activation, and reversed the dendritic spine elimination. These data demonstrated a potentially important gut–brain interactive mechanism underlying the surgical pain-induced delirium in mice. Pending further studies, these findings revealed a possible therapeutic approach in preventing and/or treating postoperative delirium by using perioperative electroacupuncture stimulation in patients.</p>