Basic Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Mar 28, 2022; 28(12): 1239-1256
Published online Mar 28, 2022. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v28.i12.1239
Spinal anesthesia alleviates dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis by modulating the gut microbiota
Yu Hong, Jie Zhao, Ye-Ru Chen, Zi-Hao Huang, Li-Dan Hou, Bo Shen, Yu Xin
Yu Hong, Jie Zhao, Bo Shen, Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310012, Zhejiang Province, China
Ye-Ru Chen, Department of Anaesthesiology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310012, Zhejiang Province, China
Zi-Hao Huang, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310012, Zhejiang Province, China
Li-Dan Hou, Biomedical Research Center, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital of Medical School, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310012, Zhejiang Province, China
Yu Xin, Department of Anesthesiology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310012, Zhejiang Province, China
Author contributions: Hong Y and Zhao J contributed equally to this work; Xin Y, Hong Y, and Chen YR designed the research study; Huang ZH and Chen YR performed the research; Zhao J and Hou LD contributed analytic tools; Shen B and Zhao J analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript; all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation, No. LY19H030011, No. LQ20C010005, and No. LQ19H030009; and Key Project of Province and Ministry Foundation, No. WKJZJ2124.
Institutional review board statement: The study was reviewed and conducted in accordance with guidelines for laboratory animal care after approval by the Laboratory Animals Ethics Committee of Zhejiang University.
Institutional animal care and use committee statement: All animal procedures were conducted in accordance with guidelines for laboratory animal care after approval by the Laboratory Animals Ethics Committee of Zhejiang University.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Xin Y, Chen YR, and Zhao J have received research funding from Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation. And Hong Y has received research funding from Zhejiang Science and Technology Department and Zhejiant Health Commission.
Data sharing statement: Technical appendix, statistical code, and dataset available from the corresponding author at [xinxin_yu@zju.edu.cn].
ARRIVE guidelines statement: The authors have read the ARRIVE guidelines, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the ARRIVE guidelines.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Yu Xin, PhD, Attending Doctor, Chief Physician, Department of Anesthesiology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital of Zhejiang University, No. 3 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou 310012, Zhejiang Province, China. xinxin_yu@zju.edu.cn
Received: September 21, 2021
Peer-review started: September 21, 2021
First decision: November 7, 2021
Revised: November 22, 2021
Accepted: February 16, 2022
Article in press: February 16, 2022
Published online: March 28, 2022
Processing time: 184 Days and 21 Hours
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

Neuraxial anesthesia has been shown to exert a positive effect on intestinal microvascular perfusion. In an animal model of sepsis, thoracic epidural anesthesia was demonstrated to ameliorate perfusion deficits in the muscularis and mucosal layers of the gut. However, whether spinal aneathesia as a neuraxial anesthesia affects intestinal inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is still unclear.

Research motivation

The exact etiology of IBD remains unknown, and the imbalance of the gut microbiota is related to the occurrence and progression of IBD. The bidirectional between the brain and gut microbiota has gradually attracted more attention. Finding interventions on the brain-gut axis will be a new vision.

Research objectives

A dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis mouse model was established to explore the role of spinal anesthesia in IBD and to identify the potential mechanisms involved.

Research methods

A DSS-induced colitis mice model was established, and then we used spinal anesthesia on colitis mice to explore the role of spinal anesthesia in IBD and identify the potential mechanisms involved. Moreover, cohousing and fecal microbiota transplantation were used to help mice from separate lines share microbes across cocaged individuals.

Research results

This study clearly revealed that spinal anesthesia inhibited the development of DSS-induced colitis in mice. We demonstrated that spinal anesthesia alleviated intestinal inflammation, maintained immunological function, and improved intestinal barrier function by modulating the gut microbiota. Reducing the increase in noradrenaline levels in DSS-treated mice by spinal anesthesia could be one of the mechanisms underlying the effect on the gut microbiota.

Research conclusions

The study implied a positive effect of spinal anesthesia in relieving intestinal inflammation, protecting intestinal barrier function, and regulating the intestinal microflora in an IBD mouse model. Decreasing the noradrenaline level would be a possible mechanism of spinal anesthesia.

Research perspectives

The present study provided evidence supporting the protective effects of spinal anesthesia on IBD by modulating gut microbiota, which highlights a novel approach for the treatment of IBD.