Abstract
Chronic inflammation is known to be associated with visceral obesity and insulin resistance and is characterized by altered levels of production of adipokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-6, leptin, and adiponectin. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a major and escalating public health and clinical challenge worldwide, and patients with MetS have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Electroacupuncture (EA) was tested as a means of decreasing inflammation in genetically obese Zucker fatty rats, which serve as a model of MetS. Repeated application of EA at the Zhongwan/Guanyuan acupoints decreased serum TNF-α, but produced no significant alterations in serum leptin, adiponectin, or IL-10. EA had no significant effect on the levels of these four adipokines in white adipose tissue. These findings are consistent with the supposition that EA inhibits proliferation and/or infiltration of macrophages into the adipose tissue of obese rats and stimulates the release of IL-10 from the decreased numbers of macrophages present in adipose tissue. Compared with the control animals, no significant change in body weight occurred. The blood glucose (BG) level over a 30-minute interval in Week 2 was relatively the same as that in Week 1, suggesting that EA treatment does not increase the likelihood of developing hyperglycemia.
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