Repeated electroacupuncture: an effective treatment for hyperglycemia in a rat model

The effect of electroacupuncture (EA) in lowering blood glucose (BG) in eight fasted male obese Zucker diabetic rats aged 21-24 weeks was investigated. Group 1 (n = 4) received no EA and Group 2 (n = 4) received EA at the Zhongwan and Guanyuan acupoints on Day 1, Day 3, Day 6, Day 8, and Day 10. The BG level of the rats was measured at 10 minutes and 20 minutes after their nose had been inserted into the nose cone of an anesthetic apparatus; then, EA was applied for 30 minutes, and BG was measured again. At the end of the study, the animals were injected with sodium pentobarbitone (60 mg/mL, intraperitoneally), and blood and white adipose tissue were collected. On statistical analysis, Group 2 showed a significant decrease in mean BG at 20 minutes (baseline) and 50 minutes on Day 8 and Day 10 compared with Day 1 and Day 3, but such a decrease was not observed in Group 1. For Group 2, the baseline BG and the change in BG over 30 minutes were significantly lower on Day 8 and Day 10 compared with Day 1, Day 3, and Day 6, but not for Group 1. No significant differences were noted between the groups in serum insulin, glucose, insulin-to-glucose ratio, adiponectin, leptin, adiponectin-to-leptin ratio, and white adipose tissue.