Research progress of acupuncture regulating enteric nervous system in Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neuro-degenerative disease that is common in middle-aged and elderly people, and its incidence is increasing year by year. Studies have shown that pathological products produced by a series of pathological cascade reactions in the enteric nervous system (ENS) of PD patients travel to the brain through the vagus nerve pathway in the microbial-gut-brain axis, and ultimately lead to the occurrence and development of PD. Acupuncture plays an important role in interfering with pathological products of ENS, restoring ecological balance of intestine and delaying PD process. In this paper, the effects of acupuncture on intestinal flora, production of related microbial products, α-synuclein, neuroinflammatory response and oxidative stress in patients or animal model with PD were reviewed.