Effect on the Akt2 in skeletal muscle of rats with insulin resistance treated by acupuncture

Objective To observe the effect of acupuncture on Akt2 mRNA expression in skeletal muscle of insulin resistant rat models. Methods Twenty-four SD rats were randomly divided into a control group, a model group and an acupuncture group. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), fasting insulin (FINS), insulin sensitivity index (ISI), C peptide (C-P), as well as Akt2 mRNA expression in skeletal muscle of rats were detected by glucose oxidase method, ELISA and real-time PCR. Results Compared with the control group, the level of FPG, FINS and C-P increased significantly ( P <0.01) while ISI and Akt2 mRNA expression decreased markedly in the model group ( P <0.01, P <0.05). In the acupuncture group, the levels of FPG, FINS and C-P were much lower than in the model group ( P <0.01, P <0.01, P <0.05) and ISI and Akt2 mRNA expression increased markedly ( P <0.01). Conclusion The mechanism of acupuncture in treating insulin resistance may relate to the up-regulated of the Akt2 mRNA expression and to the improvement of the signal transduction of PI3K pathway.