An Experimental Study of Acupuncture to Rat Model of Obesity: Involvement of SIRT1 Signaling Pathway
An Experimental Study of Acupuncture to Rat Model of Obesity: Involvement of SIRT1 Signaling Pathway
Muzhi Pan1,2, Pengli Si2, Ping Zheng2 and Bingwei Ai2,3*
ABSTRACT
Obesity is a global health challenge. While manual acupuncture has been recognized for its potential to reduce body weight, the efficacy of different manual acupuncture techniques in obesity treatment remains to be elucidated. This study aims to investigate the differential effects of various manual acupuncture methods in an obese rat model. We categorized rats into five groups: a control group, a model group, a conventional acupuncture group, a high-frequency twisting group, and a low-frequency twisting group. All groups, except the control, were fed a high-fat diet for eight weeks. The conventional acupuncture group underwent standard acupuncture treatment, whereas the high-frequency and low-frequency twisting groups received conventional acupuncture with respective frequency modulations. All interventions spanned four weeks. Acupuncture treatments were found to facilitate a reduction in body weight. The Lee’s index was significantly lower in the acupuncture-treated groups. These interventions also rectified the disrupted lipid profiles in rat serum. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) revealed that acupuncture treatments substantially reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in the liver. Moreover, liver morphological alterations and the presence of lipid droplets were notably ameliorated following acupuncture treatments. Comparative analysis indicated superior efficacy in the high-frequency and low-frequency twisting groups over conventional acupuncture, with the high-frequency twisting group demonstrating the most pronounced effects. Additionally, variations in the SIRT1/SREBP-1c/PPARγ signaling pathway were observed, contributing to the differential impacts on obesity. This study demonstrates that acupuncture treatments exert a significant inhibitory effect on obesity. Among the various acupuncture modalities assessed, the high-frequency twisting technique emerged as the most effective, showing superior results in body weight reduction and other related indices. These findings suggest that the integration of high-frequency twisting with conventional acupuncture may represent an optimal approach for the treatment of obesity.
To share on other social networks, click on any share button. What are these?
