{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,17]],"date-time":"2026-08-17T23:22:21Z","timestamp":1787008941865,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,17]],"date-time":"2026-02-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1771286400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/pages\/standard-publication-reuse-rights"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100013058","name":"Jiangsu Provincial Key Research and Development Program","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["BE2022673"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["BE2022673"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100013058","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Nanjing Health Science and Technology Development Foundation","award":["ZYX22053"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["ZYX22053"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004608","name":"Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["BK20231132"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["BK20231132"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004608","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disorder characterized by a significant unmet clinical need for more effective and tolerable therapies. This study explores the therapeutic potential and underlying mechanisms of electroacupuncture (EA) at the Baliao acupoints in a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced UC rat model. EA treatment significantly alleviated colitis symptoms, restored colon length, and enhanced gut barrier integrity by upregulating tight junction proteins (ZO-1\/occludin). Mechanistically, EA activated cholinergic neurons in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG), increased the prevalence of \u03b17nAChR (alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor)-positive M2 macrophages in the colon, and elevated local acetylcholine levels. These effects were abolished by the \u03b17nAChR antagonist methyllycaconitine (MLA), confirming the critical role of \u03b17nAChR-mediated cholinergic signaling. Additionally, EA modulated gut microbiota composition, promoting beneficial bacteria (eg Lactobacillus) and suppressing pathogenic species. Heart rate variability analysis indicated enhanced vagal activity post-EA. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that EA at the Baliao acupoints alleviates experimental UC via \u03b17nAChR-dependent facilitation of M2 macrophage polarization and restoration of a healthy gut microbiota, highlighting a promising neuromodulation-based approach for UC treatment.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1093\/ibd\/izaf321","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,13]],"date-time":"2026-01-13T12:26:58Z","timestamp":1768307218000},"page":"740-754","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Electroacupuncture at Baliao Points Alleviates Ulcerative Colitis via \u03b17nAChR-Mediated Macrophage Polarization and Gut Microbiota Modulation"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"32","author":[{"given":"Xue","family":"Liu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University , Nanjing,","place":["China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jiang-Bo","family":"Gao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nanjing Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine , Nanjing,","place":["China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wen-Xuan","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nanjing Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine , Nanjing,","place":["China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chen-Yi","family":"Xu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nanjing Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine , Nanjing,","place":["China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhi-Yuan","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University , 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