Effect of Compound Laser Acupuncture-Moxibustion on Blood Glucose, Fasting Insulin and Blood Lipids Levels in Type 2 Diabetic Rats

Objective To investigate the effect of compound laser acupuncture-moxibustion on blood glucose, fasting insulin and blood lipids levels in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) rats. Methods Forty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 groups, including the normal group, model control group, laser group and sham laser group (n=10 per group). The rats in the normal group were fed with a standard diet. Rats in other groups were fed with a high-sugar and high-fat diet for 4 weeks, then intraperitoneally injected with 1% streptozotocin to induce T2DM model. The laser group was irradiated by 10.6 mu m and 650 nm compound laser on bilateral Pishu (BL 20), Shenshu (BL 23) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6) for 5 min, 6 times a week for 5 weeks. The sham laser group received the same treatment as the laser group, but without laser output. The model control group and normal group were not treated. Blood glucose levels were measured before and after 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 weeks of treatment. The serum levels of fasting insulin, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were analyzed after the last treatment. Results The blood glucose levels in the model control group increased during the 5 weeks of treatment compared with the normal group (P<0.05), while those in the laser group were significantly lower than the model control group after weekly treatment (PP<0.05). After 1, 2 and 3 weeks of treatment, the blood glucose levels in the laser group decreased obviously compared with the sham laser group (PP<0.05). Compared with the normal group, the levels of fasting insulin, TC and LDL in the model control group notably increased (PP<0.05), while their levels in the laser group were significantly lower than the model control group after 5 weeks of treatment (PP<0.01). However, no statistically significant differences were observed in TG or HDL levels among the 4 groups (P>0.05). Conclusion The compound laser acupuncture-moxibustion of 10.6 mu m and 650 nm had positive effects on the regulation of hyperglycemia and insulin resistance in T2DM rats, which may be a potential treatment for T2DM, and also provide an alternative to the traditional acupuncture and moxibustion therapy.