临床上抑郁症病人多伴有胃肠道症状。申请人前期研究表明针刺治疗抑郁症安全有效，不仅改善抑郁主症同时使胃肠道症状好转，并且肠道菌群有明显改变，尤其是拟杆菌升高。动物实验发现了同样的结果。故提出假说“针刺治疗抑郁症的作用是通过调节脑肠双重作用实现的，具体途径是通过调节肠道菌群，尤其是拟杆菌，增强色氨酸代谢，肠内及脑内的色氨酸羟化酶升高促进宿主5-HT合成而起到抗抑郁的效应。”本项目拟首先通过行为学检测针刺对抑郁大鼠的效应，重点研究以下针刺机制：1）16SrDNA与宏基因组测序分析肠道菌群，Western blot等技术分析色氨酸羟化酶与5-HT及其受体；2）电生理技术研究电针对中缝核5-HT能神经元调节作用；3）微透析活体高效液相研究电针对中缝核与肠内5-HT水平影响；4）抗生素诱导菌群紊乱一步探讨菌-肠-脑交互作用。本项目丰富针刺抗抑郁的作用机制，为针刺通过脑肠双重作用防治抑郁症提供依据。

Patients with depression are often accompanied by gastrointestinal symptoms. Previous studies of the applicant have shown that acupuncture is safe and effective in the treatment of depression, which not only improves the main symptoms of depression but also improves gastrointestinal symptoms, and there are significant changes in intestinal flora, especially the increase of bacteroides. The same results were found in animal experiments. Therefore, the hypothesis is proposed that"the effect of acupuncture on depression is achieved by regulating the dual effects of brain and intestine. The specific way is to enhance the metabolism of tryptophan by regulating the intecstinal flora, especially bacteroidetes, and promote the synthesis of 5-HT by increasing the hydroxylase of tryptophan in the intestine and brain." This project intends to first examine the effects of acupuncture on depression rats through behavioral analysis, focusing on the following mechanisms of acupuncture: 1) 16SrDNA and metagenome analysis of intestinal flora, Western blot analysis of tryptophan hydroxylase and 5-HT and its receptors; 2) electrophysiological technique used to study the regulation of 5-HT neurons in the nucleus raphe; 3) in vivo HPLC of microdialysis used to study the effect of electroacupuncture on the level of 5-HT in the nucleus raphe and intestine; 4) antibiotic inducing microflora dysfuction to confirm the interaction of flora-intestine-brain. This project will enrich the anti-depression mechanism of acupuncture, and provided a basis for the prevention and treatment of depression through the dual effects of acupuncture on brain and intestine.