Mudhita Zikkrullah Ritonga, Gholib Gholib, Wahyu Eka Sari, Muhammad Hanafiah, Triva Murtina Lubis, Alfiana Laili Dwi Agustin, Lian Varis Riandi, Lailia Dwi Kusuma Wardhani, Wisnu Rahmadan Almanda, Mustafa Sabri
Electroacupuncture (EA) has gained attention as a non-pharmacological intervention that can influence metabolic and oxidative pathways through autonomic and neuroendocrine regulation. Cholesterol and superoxide dismutase (SOD) are important indicators of lipid metabolism and redox status. The present study aimed to investigate the modulation of cholesterol and SOD activity following EA in cats after ovariohysterectomy, a model of chronic estrogen depletion associated with dysregulated lipid control and increased oxidative susceptibility. Fifteen healthy, neutered adult female domestic cats weighing 2-3 kilograms, aged 1-2 years, were assigned to three groups in a completely randomized design. One group served as the control with no EA treatment (Group 1), the second group received EA at bladder 18 (BL-18), spleen 6 (SP-6), and small intestine 3 points (SI-3; Group 2), and the third group received EA at stomach 36 (ST-36), BL-19, and liver 3 points (LIV-3; Group 3). The EA was administered five times at three-day intervals, with each session lasting 10 minutes. Blood samples were collected before and after treatment and analyzed for cholesterol and SOD using standard biochemical assays and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The present study was conducted over 15 days. Groups 2 and 3 demonstrated significant reductions in cholesterol levels compared to the control group. Group 2 achieved the lowest cholesterol level after EA, which was significantly lower than that of Group 3 and Group 1. Group 3 maintained significantly higher SOD levels than Group 2 and Group 1 before and after treatment, whereas no significant differences were observed between Group 1 and Group 2 at either time point. All groups demonstrated numerical decreases in SOD activity over the study period. The concurrent changes in cholesterol and SOD levels across treatment groups indicated interconnected physiological responses that improved lipid homeostasis and modulated oxidative stress. The present results demonstrated that EA supported coordinated regulation of metabolic and antioxidant pathways in neutered cats through distinct acupoint-specific mechanisms. These findings highlighted the potential of EA as a complementary approach for restoring metabolic-redox balance in animals with long-term endocrine alterations. The integrated changes in cholesterol and SOD underscored the relevance of acupuncture-based interventions for enhancing systemic homeostasis. © The Author(s) 2026. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Laboratory of Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia; Center for Tropical Veterinary Studies-One Health Collaboration Center, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia; Physiology Laboratory, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia; Veterinary Public Health Laboratory, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia; Parasitology Laboratory, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia; Am Pet Care, Bojonegoro, Indonesia; School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
Research at a Glance
Register to unlock
Topics & SDG Alignment
Register to unlock
Collaboration
Register to unlock
Author Profile (Selected)
Register to unlock
References Overview
Register to unlock
Journal & Source
Register to unlock
Metadata & Integrity
Register to unlock