Carboxytherapy-Induced Fat loss is Associated with VEGF-Mediated Vascularization

Carboxytherapy is the transcutaneous administration of CO₂ gas for therapeutic purposes. Although this non-surgical procedure has been widely used for reducing localized adiposity, its effectiveness on fat loss in obese patients and its underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

C57BL/6 mice were fed with a high-fat diet for 8 weeks to generate obese animal models. Obese mice were randomly assigned to two groups: One group was administered air to both inguinal fat pads (air/air), and the other group was treated with air to the left inguinal fat pad and with CO₂ to the right inguinal fat pad (air/CO₂). Each group was treated every other day for 2 weeks. Morphological changes and expression levels of genes associated with lipogenesis and vascularization in fat were determined by histological and qRT-PCR analyses.

Mice treated with air/CO₂ showed lower body weights and blood glucose levels compared to air/air-treated mice. Paired comparison analysis revealed that CO₂ administration significantly decreased adipose tissue weights and adipocyte sizes compared to air treatment. Additionally, CO₂ treatment markedly increased vessel numbers and expressions of Vegfa and Fgf1 genes in adipose tissues. The expressions of Fasn and Fabp4 genes were also modestly reduced in CO₂-treated adipose tissue. Moreover, Ucp1 expression, the target gene of VEGF and a key regulator in energy expenditure, was significantly increased in CO₂-treated adipose tissue.

Carboxytherapy is effective in the reduction of localized fat in obese patients which is mechanistically associated with alteration of the vasculature involved in VEGF.

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