title: Differential Effect of Electroacupuncture on Inflammatory Adipokines in Two Rat Models of Obesity.
abstract: Chronic inflammation is known to be associated with visceral obesity and insulin resistance which are characterized by altered levels of production of pro- and anti-inflammatory adipokines. The dysregulation of the production of inflammatory adipokines and their functions in obese individuals leads to a state of chronic low-grade inflammation and may promote obesity-linked metabolic disorders and cardiovascular diseases such as insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and atherosclerosis. Electroacupuncture (EA) was tested to see if there was a difference in its effect on pro- and anti-inflammatory adipokine levels in the blood serum and the white adipose tissue of obese Zucker fatty rats and high-fat diet-induced obese Long Evans rats. In the two rat models of obesity, on Day 12 of treatment, repeated applications of EA were seen to have had a significant differential effect for serum tumor necrosis factor-α, adiponectin, the adiponectin:leptin ratio, and blood glucose. For the adipose tissue, there was a differential effect for adiponectin that was on the borderline of significance. To explore these changes further and how they might affect insulin resistance would require a modification to the research design to use larger group sizes for the two models or to give a greater number of EA treatments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Jacqueline J T
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Liaw
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. Electronic address: phil.peplow@stonebow.otago.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Philip V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Peplow
mesh_terms: D054392:Adipokines / Q000097:blood; D052436:Adipose Tissue, White; D000818:Animals; D059305:Diet, High-Fat / Q000009:adverse effects; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D006801:Humans; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000097:blood*; D020738:Leptin; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000628:therapy*; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D011924:Rats, Zucker
chemical_list: D054392:Adipokines; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D020738:Leptin
keywords: adipokines; blood glucose; electroacupuncture; obesity; rat models