To explore the mechanism of acupoint application in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea by 16S rDNA sequencing and metabolomics

Abstract

Abstract Graphene-based warm uterus acupoint paste (GWUAP) is an emerging non-drug alternative therapy for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea (PD), but the underlying mechanism is still unclear. SD female rats were randomly divided into control group, model group and treatment group to explore the mechanism of GWUAP in the treatment of PD. Combined with 16 S rDNA and fecal metabolomics, the diversity of microbiota and metabolites in each group was comprehensively evaluated. In this study, GWUAP reduced the torsion score of PD model rats, improved the pathological morphology of uterine tissue, reduced the pathological damage score of uterine tissue, and reversed the expression levels of inflammatory factors, pain factors and sex hormones. In addition, the model group caused significant changes in fecal microorganisms and metabolites in the control group, while the treatment group could prevent these changes. 16S rDNA sequencing of fecal samples showed that GWUAP could improve the imbalance of bacterial diversity in PD rats. Metabolomics of fecal samples identified 32 metabolites related to therapeutic effects. Moreover, there is a close correlation between fecal microbiota and metabolites. Therefore, the mechanism of GWUAP in the treatment of PD remains to be further studied.