Acupuncture Modulates Biomarkers Associated with Intestinal Barrier Integrity, Inflammatory Responses, and Tight-Junction Gene Expression in Patients with Severe Stroke: Analysis Based on Inflammation and Gene Expression

Objective To investigate the effect of acupuncture on intestinal mucosal barrier function in patients with severe stroke. Methods Patients with severe stroke were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group. Patients in the observation group received acupuncture combined with conventional treatment, while those in the control group received conventional treatment alone. Serum diamine oxidase (DAO), D-lactic acid (D-LA), immunoglobulin A (IgA), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-8 (IL-8) were detected on days 0, 3, and 7. The mRNA expressions of B-cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2–associated X protein (Bax), zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), and occludin were detected by fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR). Results On days 3 and 7, the serum levels of DAO, D-LA, IL-6, and IL-8 in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group, while IgA was significantly higher ( P < 0.05). The serum levels of DAO, D-LA, IL-6, and IL-8 in both groups were decreased, while IgA was increased on day 7 ( P < 0.05). The mRNA expressions of Bcl-2, ZO-1, and occludin in the observation group were significantly higher, while Bax was significantly lower than those in the control group on days 3 and 7 ( P < 0.05). Conclusion This hypothesis-generating study suggests that acupuncture may modulate intestinal mucosal barrier function-related biomarkers in patients with severe stroke, potentially by reducing systemic inflammatory response and upregulating the mRNA expressions of intestinal mucosal integrity and anti-apoptosis–related genes. These findings are exploratory and based on mRNA-level evidence; protein-level validation is required to confirm potential mechanisms.