Table 1.
Characteristics of acupuncture in the treatment of obesity derive from main studies included.
| Reference | Model | Intervention type | Acupoint | Frequency (duration) |
Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kim et al. (36) | SD rats | AAS | Stomach point | twice per day (2 days) | ↓NPY |
| Tian et al. (38) | SD rats | EA | Zusanli(ST36),Sanyinjiao(SP6) | once every other day (NR) | ↓NPY, ↓ghrelin, ↓food intake, ↓BW |
| Shu et al. (39) | Wistar rats | EA | Zusanli(ST36), Guanyuan(CV4), Zhongwan (CV12), Fenglong (ST40) |
3 per week (8 wks) | ↑SIRT1, ↓NPY, ↑POMC, ↓Ac-FOXO1,↑insulin sensitivity |
| Liu et al. (42) | SD rats | EA | Zusanli(ST36), Quchi(LI11) | 7 per week (4 wks) | ↓NPY, ↓AgRP |
| Ren et al. (43) | Wistar rats | EA | Zusanli(ST36), Guanyuan(CV4), Zhongwan (CV12), Fenglong (ST40) |
3 per week (8 wks) | ↑POMC, ↓AgRP, ↓food intake, ↓BW |
| Tian et al. (47) | SD rats | EA | Zusanli(ST36),Sanyinjiao(SP6) | 3 per week (4 wks) | ↑POMC,↑α-MSH, ↓food intake, ↓BW |
| Wang et al. (49) | SD rats | EA | Zusanli(ST36),Sanyinjiao(SP6) | 7 per week (2 wks) | ↑α-MSH, ↓food intake, ↓BW |
| Ji et al. (50) | Obese rats | EA | Zusanli(ST36) | twice a day (1 wk) | ↑POMC, ↑nNOS, ↑ TRPV1, ↓food intake, ↓BW |
| Huang et al. (51) | Wistar rats | EA | Zusanli(ST36), Guanyuan(CV4), Zhongwan (CV12), Fenglong (ST40) |
3 per week (8 wks) | ↑POMC, ↑SIRT1, ↓blood lipids, ↓PPG, ↓food intake, ↓BW |
| Tian et al. (56) | SD rats | EA | Zusanli(ST36),Sanyinjiao(SP6) | 3 per week (4 wks) | ↑CART, ↓food intake, ↓BW |
| Leng et al. (57) | SD rats | EA | Zusanli (ST36),Tianshu (ST25), Zhongwan(CV12),Sanyinjiao(SP6) |
5 per week (4 wks) | ↓methylation of Tsc1, ↓mTORC1, ↑POMC, ↓AgRP, ↓NPY, ↓food intake, ↓BW |
| Wang et al. (63) | SD rats | EA | Zhongwan(CV12),gastric shu (BL21) | 7 per week (1 wk) | ↑MTL, ↑GAS |
| Asamoto and Takeshige (70) | Wistar rats | AAS | Stomach(CO4), Endocrine(CO18),Heart(CO15),Lung(CO14) | NR | ↑excitatory of VMH |
| Shiraishi et al. (71) | Wistar rats | AAS | NR | NR | ↑excitatory of VMH, ↓excitatory of LHA |
| Liu et al. (72) | SD rats | EA | Zusanli (ST 36), Neiting (ST 44) | 3 per week (2 wks) | ↑excitatory of VMH, ↓DA, ↑5-HT,↓BW |
| Zhao et al. (73) | SD rats | EA | Zusanli (ST 36), Neiting (ST 44) | (2 wks) | ↑excitatory of VMH |
| Wang et al. (100) | SD rats | EA | Zusanli(ST36), Guanyuan(CV4), Zhongwan(CV12), Sanyinjiao(SP6) |
7 per week (4 wks) | ↓leptin, ↓TG, ↓BW, ↓insulin |
| Kang et al. (101) | Obese patients | EA plus AAS | Zusanli(ST36),Guanyuan(CV4),Tianshu(ST25), Sanyinjiao(SP6), Fenglong (ST40); Shenmen(TF4), Spleen(CO13), Stomach(CO4), LargeIntestine(CO7), Endocrine(CO18), Sanjiao(CO17) |
3 per week (4 wks) | ↓leptin |
| Ge et al. (103) | SD rats | EA | Zusanli(ST36), Guanyuan(CV4), Zhongwan(CV12), Sanyinjiao(SP6) |
7 per week (4 wks) | ↓leptin, ↓TG, ↓insulin |
| Wang et al. (104) | SD rats | EA | Zusanli(ST36), Guanyuan(CV4), Sanyinjiao(SP6), Zhongwan(CV12) |
7 per week (4 wks) | ↓leptin, ↓insulin, ↓TG, ↓TC, ↓LDL-C |
| Yan et al. (105) | Wistar rats | EA | Zusanli(ST36), Zhongwan(CV12) | 7 per week (4 wks) | ↓leptin, ↓BW |
| Kim et al. (102) | SD rats | EA | Zusanli(ST36) | 7 per week (4 wks) | ↑leptin, ↓BW, ↓food intake |
| Cabioğlu and Ergene (106) | Obese patients | EA plus AAS | Hungry point, Shen Men(TF4), Hegu (LI4), Quchi (LI 11), Tianshu (ST25), Zusanli (ST 36), Neiting (ST44) | 7 per week (3 wks) | ↓leptin, ↓BW |
| Luo and Li (107) | Obese patients | EA | Zusanli(ST36), Tianshu (ST25), Zhongwan (CV12), Fenglong(ST40), Fujie(SP14), Shuifen(CV9) | 3-4 per week (8 wks) | ↓leptin, ↑adiponectin |
| Güçel et al. (108) | Obese patients | Acupuncture | Zusanli(ST36), Neiting (ST44), Sanyinjiao(SP6), Hegu(LI4) |
2 per week (5 wks) | ↓leptin, ↓insulin, ↓BW, ↓BMI, ↑Ghrelin, ↑CCK |
| Darbandi et al. (109) | Obese patients | EA | Tianshu(ST25), Zhongwan (CV12), Shuifen(CV9), Sanyinjiao(SP6), Guanyuan(CV4), Weidao(GB28) | 2 per week (6 wks) | ↓leptin |
| Hsu et al. (110) | Obese women | AAS | Hungry point, Shen Men(TF4), Stomach(CO4), Endocrine(CO18) |
2 per week (6 wks) | ↓leptin, ↑ghrelin |
| Gong et al. (112) | SD rats | EA | Zusanli(ST36), Neiting (ST44) | 3 per week (4 wks) | ↓leptin, ↓BW |
| Wang et al. (113) | Obese patients | EA | Zhongwan(CV12), Tianshu (ST25), Daheng (SP15), Daimai (GB26), Shuidao(ST28), Zhigou (TE6), Yinlingquan(SP9), Zusanli (ST36), Fenglong (ST40), Sanyinjiao (SP6) |
3 per week (10 wks) |
↓leptin, ↓insulin, ↓BMI |
| Cabioğlu and Ergene (118) | Obese patients | EA plus AAS | Hungry point, Shen Men(TF4), Hegu (LI4), Quchi (LI 11), Zusanli (ST 36), Neiting (ST44) |
7 per week (3 wks) |
↑insulin, ↑C-peptide, ↓glucose |
| Gao et al. (119) | Obese patients | EA plus AAS | Tianshu(ST25), Guanyuan(CV4), Sanyinjiao(SP6), Fenglong(ST40), Zusanli(ST36); Shenmen(TF4), Spleen(CO13),Stomach(CO4), LargeIntestine(CO7), Endocrine(CO18), Sanjiao(CO17) | 7 per week (8 wks) | ↓insulin |
| Liang et al. (123) | C57BL mice | EA | Zusanli(ST36), Guanyuan(CV4) | 5 per week (8 wks) | ↑SIRT1,↑insulin sensitivity, ↓BW, ↓food intake |
| Huang et al. (124) | Wistar rats | EA | Zusanli(ST36), Guanyuan(CV4), Zhongwan (CV12), Fenglong (ST40) |
3 per week (8 wks) | ↓IL-6, ↓TNF-α, ↓IL-1β,↓MCP-1, ↑IL-10, ↓insulin, ↑insulin sensitivity |
| Huang et al. (125) | Wistar rats | EA | Zusanli(ST36), Guanyuan(CV4), Zhongwan (CV12), Fenglong (ST40) |
3 per week (8 wks) | ↑SIRT1, ↓Ac-NFκB, ↓IL-6,↓TNF-α, ↓BMI |
| Kim et al. (143) | SD rats | EA | Zusanli(ST36) | NR | ↓food intake |
| Song et al. (144) | Wistar rats | EA | Fenglong(ST40),Zhongwan(CV12), Guanyuan(CV4), Zusanli(ST36) |
3 per week (8 wks) | ↑CCK, ↓insulin, ↑insulin sensitivity, ↓food intake, ↓BW |
| Wang et al. (145) | Wistar rats | EA | Zhongwan(CV12),Guanyuan(CV4),Tianshu(ST25); Zusanli(ST36), Fenglong(ST40) |
3 per week (8 wks) | ↓leptin, ↑CCK, ↓food intake, ↓BW |
BMI, body mass index; BW, body weight; EA, electro‐acupuncture; AAS, auricular acupoint stimulation; ↑, increase; ↓, decrease; SIRT1, sirtuins 1; DA, dopamine; LDL-C, lipid-cholesterol; NR, not reported; wk, week; wks, weeks; TG, triglycerides; TC, total cholesterol; GAS, gastrin; MTL, motilin.