Acupoint Catgut Embedding Alleviates High-Fat-Diet Induced Obesity Through Activating Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway

Abstract Objective This study was designed to assess the effect and explore the underlying mechanism of acupoint catgut embedding on high-fat-diet (HFD) induced obese mice. Methods The therapeutic effect of acupoint catgut embedding was evaluated by the food intake, body weight and glycolipid metabolism. The size, number, and morphology of adipocytes were observed by histological staining. The targets in acupoint catgut embedding for treating obesity were detected by RNA-seq. The protein levels of Wnt1 and β-catenin in epididymal adipose tissue (eWAT) were detected by Western blot. Results Acupoint catgut embedding significantly reduced body weight, improve glucose tolerance and ameliorate insulin resistance, diminish serum total cholesterol and triglyceride levels in HFD-induced obese mice, and inhibited excessive adipocyte hypertrophy in eWAT. Acupoint catgut embedding significantly up-regulated Wnt1 and β-catenin protein levels in eWAT. Conclusion Acupoint catgut embedding can reduce body weight, attenuate insulin resistance and dyslipidemia, suppress adipocyte hypertrophy of eWAT in HFD-induced obese mice. The mechanism could be related to the activation of Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Graphical Abstract