Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea.
Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea; Department of Science in Korean Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea.
Life Sci. 2018 Jun 15;203:20-26. doi: 10.1016/j.lfs.2018.04.016. Epub 2018 Apr 13.
Acupuncture, particularly electroacupuncture (EA) has been shown to have the lipid-lowering effects, but not completely investigated. The present study was aimed to examine whether EA could attenuate poloxamer-407 (P-407)-induced hyperlipidemia in the rats and to investigate its potential mechanisms.
Rats received P-407 (0.4 g/kg, i.p.) to induce hyperlipidemia. EA was performed at ST36 and ST40 acupoints a total of three times with 12 h-interval starting 1 h before the P-407 injection at 0.6 mA intensity and 2 Hz frequency for 10 min.
In P-407-induced hyperlipidemic rats, EA stimulation at ST36 and ST40 acupoints significantly lowered the serum levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and atherogenic index, while markedly increasing the serum HDL-cholesterol levels. Meanwhile, hyperlipidemic rats had significantly higher expression of sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP)-2, without any difference in SREBP-1 expression in the liver, as compared with normal ones. EA significantly attenuated the expression of SREBP-2 with a subsequent decrease in 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase and an increase in low-density lipoprotein receptor at both mRNA and protein levels in the liver of hyperlipidemic rats. These changes did not occur after electrical stimulation at a non-acupoint.
Taken together, our findings indicate that EA stimulation to P-407-induced hyperlipidemic rats improves the lipid abnormalities, which may be associated with regulation of the expression of key enzymes of cholesterol synthesis in the liver through modulation of SREBP-2.
针灸，特别是电针（EA）已被证明具有降脂作用，但尚未完全研究。本研究旨在观察 EA 是否能减轻聚氧乙烯 407（P-407）诱导的大鼠高脂血症，并探讨其潜在机制。
大鼠接受 P-407（0.4g/kg，腹腔注射）诱导高脂血症。EA 在 P-407 注射前 1 小时开始，每隔 12 小时进行 3 次，每次在 ST36 和 ST40 穴位进行，强度为 0.6mA，频率为 2Hz，持续 10 分钟。
在 P-407 诱导的高脂血症大鼠中，ST36 和 ST40 穴位的 EA 刺激显著降低了血清甘油三酯、总胆固醇、LDL-胆固醇和致动脉粥样硬化指数水平，同时显著增加了血清 HDL-胆固醇水平。同时，与正常大鼠相比，高脂血症大鼠肝脏中固醇调节元件结合蛋白（SREBP）-2 的表达明显升高，而 SREBP-1 的表达没有差异。EA 显著减弱了 SREBP-2 的表达，随后降低了 3-羟基-3-甲基戊二酰辅酶 A 还原酶的表达，并增加了肝脏中 LDL 受体的表达，无论是在 mRNA 水平还是在蛋白水平上，在高脂血症大鼠中均如此。这些变化在非穴位电刺激后并未发生。
综上所述，我们的研究结果表明，EA 刺激 P-407 诱导的高脂血症大鼠改善了脂质异常，这可能与通过调节 SREBP-2 来调节肝脏胆固醇合成关键酶的表达有关。
