Objective: To observe the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on type 2 innate lymphoid cell (ILC2) function in white adipose tissue (WAT) of
Objective: To observe the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on type 2 innate lymphoid cell (ILC2) function in white adipose tissue (WAT) of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese rats to reveal the mechanism underlying weight loss. Methods: Male Winstar rats (n=15) were randomly divided into control, HFD, and HFD+EA groups, with five rats in each group. An obesity model was established by feeding rats with a HFD. EA (2 Hz, 1 mA) was applied to “Zhongwan (CV12)” bilateral “Tianshu (ST25)” “Zusanli (ST36)” and “Sanyinjiao (SP6)” for 15 min, 7 days a week, for a total of 5 weeks. During EA treatment, the HFD group was fed a HFD, whereas rats in the control group were maintained on a normal diet. There was no intervention in either the control or the HFD groups. Body weight was measured weekly. Full-field adipocyte morphology, adipocyte volume, and the number of abdominal WAT were observed under a microscope after sectioning and hematoxylin and eosin staining. The levels of IL-5 (interleukin-5), IL-13 (interleukin-13), IL-33 (interleukin-33), and ST2 (growth stimulating gene 2 protein) in the WAT were assayed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The expression levels of browning markers including PGC1α(peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha), PPARγ (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma), PRDM16 (histone-lysine N-methyltransferase), and UCP1(uncoupling protein 1 in WAT were detected by western blot analysis and RT-PCR. Results: After a 7-week induction period, rats in both the HFD and HFD+EA groups were 20% heavier than their initial weights before modeling (P