Electroacupuncture Orchestrates Intestinal Flora Remodeling: A Step Forward in Alleviating High Salt-Induced Vasculopathy

This study aims to investigate the therapeutic potential and mechanisms of electroacupuncture (EA) in alleviating vascular dysfunction caused by high-salt diets, with a focus on gut microbiota modulation. We randomly divided 21 rats into Normal Control, High-Salt Model, and EA Intervention groups (n = 7 per group). The "high-salt blood stasis syndrome" model in Wistar rats was induced by intragastric perfusion of 12% NaCl. Treatments were performed between 17:00 and 19:00 Beijing time: rats were restrained with a soft cloth, followed by 20-min EA stimulation at BL23 and KI3. After the experiment, rat blood, blood vessels, and fecal samples were collected. Vascular effects were evaluated via coagulation function test, hemorheological analysis, and arterial histopathological assessment. 16S rDNA sequencing was used to analyze the composition and abundance changes of gut microbiota. The findings revealed that chronic high-salt intake disrupted blood viscosity, damaged vascular endothelial integrity, and caused gut microbial dysbiosis. Remarkably, EA treatment effectively reversed these pathological changes. Correlation analysis further identified specific gut microbiota (e.g., Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae) that strongly correlated with altered blood viscosity parameters (P < 0.05). Therefore, the present study concludes that high-salt diet-induced vasculopathy can be reversed by EA treatment, which may be attributed to EA's ability to regulate gut microbiota involved in bile acid metabolism and short-chain fatty acid synthesis.