Effect of Electroacupuncture on Gut Microbiota in Participants With Knee Osteoarthritis
Wang TQ, Li LR, Tan CX, Yang JW, Shi GX, Wang LQ, Hu H, Liu ZS, Wang J, Wang T, Yuan Y, Jia WR, Li H, Wang XW, Wu B, Tu JF, Liu CZ · Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology · 2021 October 04
DOI 10.3389/fcimb.2021.597431
Objective
To investigate the effect of electroacupuncture on gut microbiota and clinical outcomes in participants with knee osteoarthritis.
Conclusions
Electroacupuncture improved knee osteoarthritis symptoms and modified the composition of the gut microbiome toward that of healthy individuals without significantly affecting microbial diversity, suggesting that gut microbiota may be a potential therapeutic target.
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Insights
Electroacupuncture relieved knee osteoarthritis symptoms while shifting gut bacteria toward a healthier composition, linking microbiome changes with clinical improvement.
The study enrolled people with knee osteoarthritis and matched healthy participants, assigning those with osteoarthritis to either electroacupuncture or sham acupuncture. Both treatment groups received repeated sessions over eight weeks, using established acupuncture points for electroacupuncture and non-acupuncture locations for the sham procedure. Stool samples collected before and after treatment underwent bacterial community analysis through genetic sequencing, alongside assessments of pain and osteoarthritis-related function.
Compared with sham acupuncture, electroacupuncture produced greater reductions in pain and overall osteoarthritis symptoms. It also altered several bacterial groups associated with knee osteoarthritis, making participants’ gut microbial composition more similar to that of healthy individuals without substantially changing overall bacterial diversity. Increases in beneficial bacterial groups and reductions in Streptococcus were associated with better pain and functional outcomes, suggesting that microbiome modulation may contribute to electroacupuncture’s therapeutic effects.
Related insights
- Electroacupuncture may relieve knee osteoarthritis by restoring immune balance, increasing T-cell receptor diversity, and reducing systemic inflammation.
- Subcutaneous needling may offer a simpler alternative to electroacupuncture for relieving knee osteoarthritis symptoms and improving mobility.
- This trial directly compares electrically stimulated acupuncture and exercise to guide personalized, cost-effective treatment for knee osteoarthritis.
- Intensive electroacupuncture improved knee osteoarthritis pain and function more reliably than sham treatment, with benefits lasting beyond treatment completion.
- Electroacupuncture was safe and showed a higher proportion of functional improvement than sham treatment, although overall mobility differences were not statistically significant.
- Bloodletting therapy, especially when combined with acupuncture or rehabilitation, may relieve knee osteoarthritis symptoms, but it may also increase adverse effects alongside acupuncture.
- Acupuncture may counter atrial fibrillation by jointly improving mitochondrial energy regulation, metabolism, inflammation, and autonomic nervous system signalling.
- Delivering fat-derived stem cells at a specific acupuncture point reduced knee joint damage by activating the body’s cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway.
