Comparison of acupuncture, moxibustion, and pharmacotherapy in improving diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Acupuncture, moxibustion, and pharmacotherapy are widely used for diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D), but their comparative efficacy and microbial mechanisms remain unclear.

Methods

We evaluated therapeutic outcomes in IBS-D rats through physiological and colonic indicators and characterized gut microbiota using 16S rDNA sequencing with network and modular analyses.

Results

Acupuncture and moxibustion more effectively normalized stool form, diarrhea index, fecal water content, and fecal pellet counts compared to pharmacotherapy, which provided partial improvement with residual symptoms such as faster colonic transit. A total of 33 microbial taxa were identified as biomarkers, with distinct profiles associated with each intervention. Spe

SUBMITTER: Zhang P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12528028 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature