Animal Models of Functional Constipation： A Review
10.13422/j.cnki.syfjx.20251812
- VernacularTitle:功能性便秘动物模型研究概况
- Author:
Youcheng HE
1
;
Shijin LIN
1
;
Fengru JIANG
2
;
Sihan LI
3
;
Xiao KE
1
;
Wenrong WANG
1
;
Jianye YUAN
4
;
Minghan HUANG
1
Author Information
1. Second People's Hospital Affiliated to Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine（TCM）， Fuzhou 350003， China
2. School of Integrative Medicine， Shanghai University of TCM， Shanghai 201203， China
3. West China Hospital of Sichuan University， Chengdu 610041， China
4. Longhua Hospital， Shanghai University of TCM， Shanghai 200032， China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
functional constipation;
animal models;
slow-transit constipation;
defecatory disorder;
normal-transit constipation;
disease-syndrome combination model
- From:
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae
2026;32(11):196-209
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Functional constipation （FC） is a clinically common functional bowel disorder characterized by a protracted course and associations with various chronic disorders and psychological abnormalities. Although not life-threatening， FC significantly impairs patients' quality of life. FC subtypes include slow-transit constipation （STC）， defecatory disorder （DD）， and normal-transit constipation （NTC）. The pathological mechanisms underlying FC have not been fully elucidated， and overall clinical efficacy remains unsatisfactory. Animal models of FC serve as essential tools for the study of disease mechanisms and the development of novel therapeutics. This article systematically reviews the current state of research on the animal models of FC and identifies that rodents， particularly rats and mice， are the most commonly used species. Dogs and pigs are also employed in complex intervention studies due to their physiological similarities to humans， though their use is limited by housing challenges and ethical considerations. Induction methods vary across different FC subtypes. STC models are primarily established with chemical agents such as loperamide or compound diphenoxylate. DD modeling often involves low-fiber diets combined with methylene blue injection or rectal narrowing. NTC modeling mainly relies on low-fiber dietary interventions. In addition， disease-syndrome combination models based on traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） theory have been developed， encompassing excess patterns such as heat accumulation， cold accumulation， and Qi stagnation， as well as deficiency patterns including Qi deficiency， blood deficiency， Yin deficiency， and Yang deficiency. These are achieved through an approach of disease model + syndrome induction， enabling the integration of mechanisms from both Western and TCM perspectives. Models are evaluated from two aspects： disease and syndrome manifestations （e.g.， colonic transit， secretory function， and TCM syndrome indicators such as mental state and body weight） and disease mechanisms （e.g.， enteric nervous system， interstitial cells of Cajal， smooth muscle cells， gut microbiota， and metabolites）. However， current research still faces challenges such as poor consistency in some models， non-specific interference in mechanism interpretation， insufficient studies on NTC， and lack of TCM tongue and pulse diagnosis in evaluation. Future efforts should focus on optimizing model stability and specificity to provide a more reliable experimental basis for investigating the pathological mechanisms of FC and developing therapeutic agents.
