Electroacupuncture alleviates obesity-associated inflammatory responses by inhibiting dendritic cell migration
Linglong Zhang1, Xingyu Yang1, Ziwei Yu1
1Key Laboratory of Acupuncture and Medicine Research of Ministry of Education, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
Background:
Obesity is closely associated with chronic low-grade inflammation, particularly within visceral adipose tissues (VAT). Dendritic cells (DCs), as key antigen-presenting cells, bridge innate and adaptive immunity and play a pivotal role in regulating adipose tissue immune homeostasis. This study aims to investigate the effects and underlying mechanisms of electroacupuncture (EA) on obesity-associated inflammation, with a particular focus on DCs migration.
Methods:
A high-fat diet (HFD) was used to induce obesity in C57BL/6 mice. Electroacupuncture (EA) was administered to obese mice, and body weight and adipose tissue morphology were assessed. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, Western blotting (WB), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunofluorescence (IF), and flow cytometry were employed to evaluate the inflammatory status and immune cell infiltration in mesenteric adipose tissue (MAT). CM-DiI tracing and CCR7 pathway analyses were conducted to investigate DCs migration.
Results:
EA significantly reduced body weight and alleviated adipose tissue inflammation in obese mice. H&E staining revealed improved adipocyte morphology in MAT following EA treatment. ELISA and WB showed decreased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β) in serum and MAT. IF analysis indicated reduced macrophage and T-cell infiltration in EA-treated groups. Flow cytometry demonstrated decreased DCs accumulation in mesenteric lymph nodes(MLNs) and MAT. CM-DiI tracing confirmed that EA suppressed intestinal DCs migration into MAT. Furthermore, EA downregulated CCR7 expression in intestinal tissue, suggesting an association between EA treatment and altered CCR7-associated DCs trafficking.
Conclusion:
Acupuncture ameliorates obesity-induced inflammatory responses by reducing the migration of intestinal DCs to MAT, potentially through modulation of CCR7-associated signaling pathways. These findings provide novel insights into the immunomodulatory mechanisms of acupuncture and support its therapeutic potential in metabolic inflammation.
