• Weixing Shen, Yang Wang, Sheng-Feng Lu, Hao Hong, Shuping Fu, Suyun He, Qian Li, Jingxin Yue, Bin Xu, and Bing-Mei Zhu.
• Key Laboratory of Acupuncture and Medicine Research of Ministry of Education, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 210023 Nanjing, China. xuuuux@sina.com.
• Bmc Complem Altern M. 2014 Jan 1; 14: 501.

BackgroundTo study the influence of acupuncture and its possible mechanism on white adipose tissue of high fat diet-induced obese.MethodsFour-week-old C57BL/6 J mice were randomly divided into a normal diet group and a high-fat diet (HFD) group. After 8 weeks, the HFD mice were randomly divided into Electro-acupuncture (EA) group and control group. Mice in the EA group were electro-acupunctured, under physical restraint, on Zusanli (ST36) and Neiting (ST44) acupoints, while the mice in the control group were under physical restraint only. Body weight and food intake were monitored, and serum leptin, cholesterol and triglyceride levels were measured by using biochemistrical methods. The effect of EA on white adipose tissues (WAT) was assessed by qPCR, immunoblotting, immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunoprecipitation and cold endurance experiment.ResultsThe WAT/body weight ratio decreased (P < 0.05) in the EA group, albeit no significant difference on food consumption between EA and control groups. The difference in the darkness of Epi-WAT between EA and control groups could be distinguished visually. HE staining indicated that the EA mice had an increased number of UCP1-immunoreactive paucilocular adipocytes in their WAT. The expressions of brown adipose tissue (BAT) markers, including UCP1, COX4il and Nrtf1 were increased in the WAT of EA mice, acetylation of Pparγ was decreased by electro-acupuncture.ConclusionEA can remodel WAT to BAT through inducing UCP1 expression, and this may be one of the mechanisms by which acupuncture affects weight loss.

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