Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound Improved the obesity-Associated Cardiac Dysfunction in Mice

Obesity has become a global public health issue, leading not only to systemic metabolic disorders but also to cardiac dysfunction, with myocardial inflammation and fibrosis. Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS), a non-invasive therapeutic approach, has shown potential in promoting tissue repair and reducing inflammatory responses. Therefore, this study utilized 10-week-old C57BL/6J mice fed a high-fat diet for 18 weeks to induce an obesity-related cardiac dysfunction model, which was confirmed by echocardiography. The mice were then randomly divided into three groups: control group, HF-Sham group, and HF-LIPUS group. Mice in the HF-LIPUS group received 20-minute daily LIPUS treatment at 1 MHz and 120 mW/cm<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> directed at the cardiac region for 6 weeks. The control and HF-Sham groups underwent the same procedures, but without LIPUS energy output. After treatment, echocardiography was used to assess cardiac systolic function, and Sirius Red staining was performed to evaluate changes in cardiac inflammation and fibrosis. The results showed that the 18-week high-fat diet significantly reduced cardiac systolic function in mice (p=0.007), while 6 weeks of LIPUS treatment significantly improved cardiac function in obese mice. The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in the LIPUS-treated mice was notably increased (p=0.0060), indicating an improvement in cardiac contractile function. This study provides a novel approach for the clinical treatment of early-stage obesity-related heart disease.