title: [Effect of electro-acupuncture on hepatic Toll-like receptor 4 and nuclear factor κB expressions in rats with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of electro-acupuncture on Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) expressions in the liver of rats with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
  
  
  METHODS
  SD rat models of NAFLD induced by feeding high-fat diet for 5 weeks were subjected to early or late intervention with electro-acupuncture at the acupoints Zusanli, Fenglong and Sanyinjiao for 20 min once daily for 21 consecutive days. The changes in serum ALT, AST, TC, and TG levels were determined in the rats and hepatic expressions of TLR4 and NF-κB detected with quantitative fluorescence PCR and Western blotting after treatments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum ALT, AST, TC, and TG levels and TLR4 and NF-κB levels increased significantly after NAFLD onset (P<0.05), and were markedly reduced by interventions with electro-acupuncture (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Electro-acupuncture at the acupoints Zusanli, Fenglong and Sanyinjiao can modify blood lipid and hepatic function to produce positive effect on NAFLD possibly by modifying lipid metabolism, lowering expressions of TLR4 and NF-κB in the liver, and reducing the impact of inflammation on NAFLD.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chinese Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China. E-mail: chenxlhappy@126.com.
authors.forename: Xiaolin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chenglin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Nianzhen
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Renjian
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D059305:Diet, High-Fat; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D007249:Inflammation; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism*; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000628:therapy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4 / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D016328:NF-kappa B; C495347:Tlr4 protein, rat; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4