Objective:To observe the effects of electroacupuncture(EA)on gut microbiota and serum inflammatory factors interleukin(IL)-1β and tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α in Crohn disease(CD)model rats. Methods:Thirty-six Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a normal control(NC)group with 10 rats and a modeling group with 26 rats.In the modeling group,the CD rat model was prepared with 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid(TNBS)enema.After successful modeling,the rats were randomly divided into a CD model(CD)group,an EA group,and a Western medicine(WM)group.The NC and CD groups received no treatment;the EA group was treated with EA for 20 min each time,with 7 consecutive days'intervention;the WM group received mesalazine enteric-coated tablet solution by gavage once a day for 7 d.The changes in body mass and disease activity index(DAI)were observed.Serum IL-1β and TNF-α were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe the pathological changes of colon tissues,and 16S rDNA sequencing was used to analyze the structural changes of gut microbiota. Results:Compared with the NC group,the body mass of rats in the CD group decreased(P<0.01),and the DAI score increased(P<0.01);the colon tissue structure was disordered,and many inflammatory cells were present;also,IL-1β and TNF-α increased significantly(P<0.01).As a result,the diversity of gut microbiota decreased,and the abundance of some conditional pathogenic bacteria(such as Prevotella)increased,while the abundance of beneficial bacteria(such as Lactobacillus,Rochella,and Spirillum)decreased.After the intervention,compared with the CD group,the body mass of rats in the EA group and WM group increased(P<0.01);the DAI score decreased(P<0.01),the colon tissue structure improved,and the IL-1β and TNF-α levels decreased(P<0.01);the diversity of gut microbiota increased(P<0.05),and the abundance of some conditional pathogenic bacteria decreased while the abundance of beneficial bacteria increased in the EA group;whereas the diversity of gut microbiota in the WM group was not statistically different(P>0.05). Conclusion:EA can reduce the damage of colon mucosa,regulate the imbalance of gut microbiota,and inhibit the serum inflammatory factor IL-1β and TNF-α expression in CD rats.