Effects of Acupuncture on the mRNA Expression of NF-κB p65/TNF-α Activated by Fat Accumulation in High-fat Diet-induced Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Rats

Background: We studied the effects of manual acupuncture (MA) and warm acupuncture (WA) on early-stage nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in relation to fat accumulation by observing the mRNA expression of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in a rat model with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) induced by high-fat diet. Methods: The experiment was performed using Sprague Dawley rats randomly divided into control (CON), NAFLD, NAFLD + MA and NAFLD + WA groups. Acupuncture was performed on the SP9 + BL18 acupoint from each group for 5 min, twice a week for 8 weeks. Total cholesterol (TC) was measured in the serum and triglyceride (TG) and resistin were measured in the hepatic tissue. In addition, hematoxylin and eosin stain, Masson’s trichrome stain, Oil red O stain and perilipin immunohistochemistry were used for histological analysis. Finally, quantitative polymerase chain reactions were performed to observe the changes in TLR4, NF-κB p65 and TNF-α. Result: Resitin and TLR4 decreased in the NAFLD + WA group. The NAFLD + MA group exhibited reduced levels of TC and TG, which mitigated NF-κB p65 and TNF-α mRNA downregulation through downregulation of the TLR4.