Abstract:Objective:To investigate the effects of acupuncture on blood lipid levels and inflammatory factors in mice with atherosclerosis (AS). Methods:A total of 10 male C57BL/6J mice were assigned as the blank control group, and another 30 male ApoE-/- mice were randomly divided into the model group, acupuncture group, and shamacupuncture group. The blank control group was fed a standard diet with no intervention;the model group was given a high-fat diet and subjected to 30 minutes of restraint every day. On the basis of the model group's regimen, the acupuncture group received daily acupuncture as intervention,and the sham-acupuncture group was treated with daily sham acupuncture using blunt-tip needles. All groups were intervened continuously for 12 weeks. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the serum levels of apolipoprotein-A (apo-A), apolipoprotein- B (apo-B), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), tumor necrosis factor- α (TNF- α), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and adiponectin in each group of mice after intervention. Results: Compared with the blank control group, the model group had decreased serum apo-A, IL-10 and adiponectin levels (P<0.05) and increased apo-B,TG,TC,VCAM-1,and TNF-α levels (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the acupuncture group showed elevated serum level of apo-A, IL-10, and adiponectin(P< 0.05) and reduced apo-B, TG, TC, VCAM-1, and TNF- α levels (P<0.05). In comparison with the shamacupuncture group,the acupuncture group had higher serum level of apo-A,IL-10,and adiponectin (P<0.05) and lower TG,TC,and TNF-α levels (P<0.05). Conclusion:Acupuncture can delay the AS progression by regulating lipid metabolism and inhibiting inflammatory responses,and its mechanism may be associated with the improvement of lipid metabolism and the regulation of inflammatory factor expression.