Electroacupuncture mimics exercise-induced changes in skeletal muscle gene expression in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Context: Autonomic nervous system activation mediates the increase in whole-body glucose uptake in response to electroacupuncture but the mechanisms are largely unknown.

Objective: To identify the molecular mechanisms underlying electroacupuncture-induced glucose uptake in skeletal muscle in insulin-resistant overweight/obese women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Design/Participants: In a case-control study, skeletal muscle biopsies were collected from 15 women with PCOS and 14 controls before and after electroacupuncture. Gene expression and methylation was analyzed using Illumina BeadChips arrays.

Results: A single bout of electroacupuncture restores metabolic and transcriptional alterations and induces epigenetic changes in skeletal muscle. Transcriptomic analysis revealed 180 unique genes (q < 0.05) whose expression was changed by electroacupuncture, with 95% of the changes towards a healthier phenotype. We identified DNA methylation changes at 304 uni...