EA increased ZO-1 and enhanced the repair of the intestinal mucosal barrier by decreasing corticotropin-releasing factor-receptor 1 expression in the gastrointestinal mucosa (Chen et al. 2019), as well as EA improved intestinal permeability by increasing the expression of TJ proteins in IBS mice and rats (Mengzhu et al. 2023; Li et al. 2022). This evidence concerns the gene CRHR1 and irritable bowel syndrome.