Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common chronic liver diseases worldwide, and its treatment remain a constant challenge. A number of clinical trials have shown that acupuncture treatment has beneficial effects for patients with NAFLD, but the molecular mechanisms underlying its action are still largely unknown. In this study, we established a mouse model of NAFLD by administering a methionine- and choline-deficient (MCD) diet and selected three acupoints (ST36, CV4, and KI1) or nonacupoints (sham) for needling. We then investigated the effects of acupuncture treatment on the progression of NAFLD and the underlying mechanisms. After two weeks of acupuncture treatment, the liver in the needling-nonapcupoint group (NG) mice appeared pale and yellowish in color, while that in the needling-acupoint group (AG) showed a bright red color. Histologically, fewer lipid droplets and inflammatory foci were observed in the AG liver than in the NG liver. Furthermore, the expression of proinflammatory signaling factors was significantly downregulated in the AG liver. A lipid analysis showed that the levels of triglyceride (TG) and free fatty acid (FFA) were lower in the AG liver than in the NG liver, with an altered expression of lipid metabolism-related factors as well. Moreover, the numbers of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG)-positive hepatocytes and levels of hepatic thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were significantly lower in AG mice than in NG mice. In line with these results, a higher expressions of antioxidant factors was found in the AG liver than in the NG liver. Our results indicate that acupuncture repressed the progression of NAFLD by inhibiting inflammatory reactions, reducing oxidative stress, and promoting lipid metabolism of hepatocytes, suggesting that this approach might be an important complementary treatment for NAFLD.

中文翻译：

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针刺ST36，CV4和KI1可抑制蛋氨酸和胆碱缺乏饮食引起的小鼠非酒精性脂肪肝疾病的进展。

非酒精性脂肪性肝病（NAFLD）是全球最常见的慢性肝病之一，其治疗仍然是一项持续的挑战。许多临床试验表明，针灸治疗对NAFLD患者具有有益的作用，但其作用的分子机制仍是未知之数。在这项研究中，我们通过给予甲硫氨酸和胆碱缺乏（MCD）饮食建立了NAFLD小鼠模型，并选择了三个穴位（ST36，CV4和KI1）或非穴位（假）进行针刺。然后，我们调查了针灸治疗对NAFLD进展及其潜在机制的影响。针刺治疗两周后，针刺-非穴位组（NG）小鼠的肝脏呈淡黄色，呈淡黄色，而针刺穴位组（AG）则显示鲜红色。从组织学上看，在AG肝脏中观察到的脂质滴和炎性灶比在NG肝脏中少。此外，在AG肝脏中促炎性信号转导因子的表达显着下调。脂质分析显示，AG肝脏中的甘油三酸酯（TG）和游离脂肪酸（FFA）的含量低于NG肝脏，并且脂质代谢相关因子的表达也发生了改变。而且，AG小鼠中8-羟基-2'-脱氧鸟苷（8-OHdG）阳性肝细胞的数目和肝硫代巴比妥酸反应性物质（TBARS）的水平显着低于NG小鼠。与这些结果一致，在AG肝脏中发现抗氧化剂因子的表达高于在NG肝脏中。