{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,26]],"date-time":"2026-10-26T21:00:19Z","timestamp":1793048419525,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,10,12]],"date-time":"2022-10-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1665532800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"National Natural Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["81603706"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["81603706"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Pharmacol."],"abstract":"<jats:p><jats:bold>Background:<\/jats:bold> Obesity can be caused by abnormalities of hypothalamic autophagy, which is closely regulated by the epigenetic modification of TSC1-mTOR. However, whether the weight-reducing effect of EA may relate to the modification of TSC1-mTOR methylation and hypothalamic autophagy remain unclear. This study was conducted to reveal the possible mechanism by which EA reduces BW by measuring the levels of TSC1-mTOR methylation and hypothalamic autophagy-related components.<\/jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Methods:<\/jats:bold> The weight-reducing effect of EA was investigated in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese (DIO) rats by monitoring the BW, food consumption, and epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT)\/BW ratio. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was performed for morphological evaluation of eWAT. Immunofluorescence was utilized to observe the localization of LC3 in the hypothalamus. The expressions of autophagy components (Beclin-1, LC3, and p62) and mTOR signaling (mTOR, p-mTOR, p70S6K, and p-p70S6K) were assessed by western blot. The methylation rate of the TSC1 promoter was detected by bisulfite genomic sequencing.<\/jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Results:<\/jats:bold> Treatment with EA significantly reduced the BW, food consumption, and eWAT\/BW ratio; attenuated the morphological alternations in the adipocytes of DIO rats. While HFD downregulated the expression levels of Beclin-1 and LC3 and upregulated those of p62, these changes were normalized by EA treatment. EA markedly decreased the methylation rate of the <jats:italic>TSC1<\/jats:italic> gene promoter and suppressed the protein expressions of mTOR, p-mTOR, p70S6K, and p-p70S6K in the hypothalamus.<\/jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Conclusion:<\/jats:bold> EA could reduce BW and fat accumulation in DIO rats. This ameliorative effect of EA may be associated with its demethylation effect on TSC1-mTOR and regulation of autophagy in the hypothalamus.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fphar.2022.1015784","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,10,12]],"date-time":"2022-10-12T05:56:55Z","timestamp":1665554215000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Electroacupuncture induces weight loss by regulating tuberous sclerosis complex 1-mammalian target of rapamycin methylation and hypothalamic autophagy in high-fat diet-induced obese rats"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Junpeng","family":"Yao","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiangyun","family":"Yan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xianjun","family":"Xiao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xi","family":"You","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yanqiu","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yuqing","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wei","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ying","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,10,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"828780","DOI":"10.3389\/fendo.2022.828780","article-title":"Metabolic and epigenetic regulation by estrogen in adipocytes","volume":"13","author":"Bjune","year":"2022","journal-title":"Front. 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