title: Autonomic nervous system activation mediates the increase in whole-body glucose uptake in response to electroacupuncture.
abstract: A single bout of low-frequency electroacupuncture (EA) causing muscle contractions increases whole-body glucose uptake in insulin-resistant rats. We explored the underlying mechanism of this finding and whether it can be translated into clinical settings. Changes in glucose infusion rate (GIR) were measured by euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp during and after 45 min of low-frequency EA in 21 overweight/obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and 21 controls matched for age, weight, and body mass index (experiment 1) and in rats receiving autonomic receptor blockers (experiment 2). GIR was higher after EA in controls and women with PCOS. Plasma serotonin levels and homovanillic acid, markers of vagal activity, decreased in both controls and patients with PCOS. Adipose tissue expression of pro-nerve growth factor (proNGF) decreased, and the mature NGF/proNGF ratio increased after EA in PCOS, but not in controls, suggesting increased sympathetic-driven adipose tissue metabolism. Administration of α-/β-adrenergic receptor blockers in rats blocked the increase in GIR in response to EA. Muscarinic and dopamine receptor antagonist also blocked the response but with slower onset. In conclusion, a single bout of EA increases whole-body glucose uptake by activation of the sympathetic and partly the parasympathetic nervous systems, which could have important clinical implications for the treatment of insulin resistance.-Benrick, A., Kokosar, M., Hu, M., Larsson, M., Maliqueo, M., Marcondes, R. R., Soligo, M., Protto, V., Jerlhag, E., Sazonova, A., Behre, C. J., Højlund, K., Thorén, P., Stener-Victorin, E. Autonomic nervous system activation mediates the increase in whole-body glucose uptake in response to electroacupuncture.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.|School of Health and Education, University of Skövde, Skövde, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benrick
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Milana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kokosar
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Larsson
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology and Metabolism Laboratory, West Division, School of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maliqueo
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.|Disciplina de Ginecologia, Laboratório de Ginecologia Estrutural e Molecular (LIM 58), Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rodrigo Rodrigues
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Marcondes
authors.affiliation: Institute of Translational Pharmacology, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Marzia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Soligo
authors.affiliation: Institute of Translational Pharmacology, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Protto
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Elisabet
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jerlhag
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Antonina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sazonova
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Carl Johan
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Behre
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Højlund
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Thorén
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; elisabet.stener-victorin@ki.se.
authors.forename: Elisabet
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stener-Victorin
mesh_terms: D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D001786:Blood Glucose; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D005260:Female; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D015309:Glucose Clamp Technique; D006801:Humans; D018727:Muscarinic Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D011085:Polycystic Ovary Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists; D001786:Blood Glucose; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists; D018727:Muscarinic Antagonists; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists; D005947:Glucose
keywords: glucose homeostasis; insulin resistance; muscle contraction; polycystic ovary syndrome