Effects of Lizhong Tongmai acupuncture on TMAO,CD36 expression,and cholesterol deposition in atherosclerotic mice

Objective To observe the effects of Lizhong Tongmai acupuncture(acupuncture for regulating middle jiao and promoting meridians)on trimethylamine-N-oxide(TMAO),CD36 expression,and cholesterol deposition in atherosclerotic(AS)mice,exploring potential mechanism of electroacupuncture(EA)in treating AS.Methods A total of 31 male SPF-grade C57BL/6J ApoE-/-mice were fed with high-fat diet for 8 weeks to establish AS model.After successful modeling,the remaining 30 mice were randomly divided into a model group,a medication group,and an EA group,with 10 mice in each group.An additional 10 normal mice of the same strain were selected as a blank group.The mice in the blank group and the model group received no intervention.The mice in the medication group were treated with intragastric administration of atorvastatin calcium.The mice in the EA group were treated with EA at"Neiguan"(PC 6),"Tianshu"(ST 25)and"Zusanli"(ST 36).The sameside"Neiguan"(PC6)and"Zusanli"(ST 36),"Tianshu"(ST 25)and the tail of the mice were connected to the EAapparatus,with disperse-dense wave,a frequency of 2 Hz/15 Hz。