American journal of physiology. Gastrointestinal and liver physiology
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Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. · Jun 2019
Electroacupuncture via chronically implanted electrodes improves gastrointestinal motility by balancing sympathovagal activities in a rat model of constipation.
Electroacupuncture (EA) has been reported for treating constipation in clinical studies. However, little is known of the possible mechanisms involved in the prokinetic effect of EA. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects and underlying autonomic mechanisms of EA via chronically implanted electrodes for constipation in rat induced by Loperamide (Lop). ⋯ NEW & NOTEWORTHY The findings of the present study suggest that the proposed electroacupuncture (EA) may have great therapeutic potential for treating patients with opioid-induced constipation. It was demonstrated that EA at ST-36 improved transit of every organ along the gut mediated via the autonomic mechanisms in normal rats and rats with Lop-induced constipation. It is advised to administrate EA daily instead of two or three times weekly as reported in most of the clinical studies.