[Effect of acupoint catgut embedding on TNF-alpha and insulin resistance in simple obesity patients]

To investigate the underlying mechanism of acupoint-catgut-embedding in the treatment of simple obesity.

Eighty simple obesity patients were randomly and evenly divided into acupoint-catgut-embedding group and acupuncture group according to the random number table method. Main acupoints selected on the basis of differentiation of symptoms and signs were Liangqiu (ST 34), Zhongwan (CV 12), Tianshu (ST 25), Shuifen (CV 9), Fenglong (ST 40) and Ashi-point. Catgut embedding was performed once a week, with 4 weeks being a therapeutic course. Acupuncture was given once daily in the 1st 5 days, and once, every other day thereafter. Before and after the treatment, body weight (BW) and body mass index (BMI) were detected; fasting blood samples were collected from the ulnar vein for detecting insulin (FINS) and glucose (FBG) contents, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha concentration with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); and insulin resistance index (IR) was calculated by using Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA).

Compared with control group, values of BW, BMI, serum FINS, serum FBG, serum TNF-alpha contents and HOMA-IR of acupoint-catgut-embedding and acupuncture groups were significantly higher (P < 0.01) before the treatment. Compared with pretreatment, BW, BMI, FINS, HOMA-IR and TNF-alpha of both acupoint-catgut-embedding and acupuncture groups decreased significantly after one course of treatment (P < 0.05, 0.01), but no significant differences were found between these two groups in these 6 indexes (P > 0.05). After the treatment, of the two 40 cases in acupuncture and acupoint-catgut-embedding groups, 12 and 13 were cured, 13 and 15 had a marked improvement, 10 and 8 had an improvement, 5 and 4 failed, with the effective rates being 87.5% and 90.0% respectively. No significant difference was found between two groups in the effective rate (P > 0.05).

Both acupoint-catgut-embedding and acupuncture have a definite therapeutic effect in the treatment of simple obesity, which is closely associated with the decline of serum insulin, glucose and TNF-alpha levels, and the decrease of insulin resistance.