Effect of Electroacupuncture on AMPK/ACC/CPT-1 Signaling Pathway in Skeletal Muscle of Obese Rats

OBJECTIVE To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on adenylate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signal pathway in skeletal muscle of obese rats， and to explore the mechanism of EA treatment for weight loss and fat loss. METHODS 30 SPF SD male rats （3 weeks） were randomly divided into normal group (n=6) and high-fat group (n=24). The model was established by feed on a high fat diet. The obese rats (n=12) were randomly divided into model group (n=6) and EA group (n=6). The body weight， fat weight and serum lipid levels of each group were measured. The levels of AMPKα1， ACC， CPT-1 mRNA expression in skeletal muscle were examined with qPCR. The expression levels of AMPK phosphorylation， ACC phosphorylation and CPT-1 in skeletal muscle were determined by Western blot analysis. RESULTS Compared with the normal group，the body weight of the model group significantly increased， which showed that the model was successfully established. Compared with the model group， the body weight， visceral fat weight and blood lipid of EA group significantly decreased， and the mRNA expression of AMPKα1， ACC and CPT-1 in skeletal muscle in the EA group significantly increased. The phosphorylation levels of AMPK and ACC significantly increased in EA group. Furthermore， the expression level of CPT-1 protein increased in EA group. CONCLUSION EA can reduce the body weight and improve lipid metabolism of obese rats. The mechanism may be related to the regulation of AMPK/ACC/CPT-1 signaling pathway in skeletal muscle.