scholarly journals Indirect calorimetry in laboratory mice and rats: principles, practical considerations, interpretation and perspectives

2012 ◽  
Vol 303 (5) ◽  
pp. R459-R476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick C. Even ◽  
Nachiket A. Nadkarni

In this article, we review some fundamentals of indirect calorimetry in mice and rats, and open the discussion on several debated aspects of the configuration and tuning of indirect calorimeters. On the particularly contested issue of adjustment of energy expenditure values for body size and body composition, we discuss several of the most used methods and their results when tested on a previously published set of data. We conclude that neither body weight (BW), exponents of BW, nor lean body mass (LBM) are sufficient. The best method involves fitting both LBM and fat mass (FM) as independent variables; for low sample sizes, the model LBM + 0.2 FM can be very effective. We also question the common calorimetry design that consists of measuring respiratory exchanges under free-feeding conditions in several cages simultaneously. This imposes large intervals between measures, and generally limits data analysis to mean 24 h or day-night values of energy expenditure. These are then generally compared with energy intake. However, we consider that, among other limitations, the measurements of V̇o2, V̇co2, and food intake are not precise enough to allow calculation of energy balance in the small 2–5% range that can induce significant long-term alterations of energy balance. In contrast, we suggest that it is necessary to work under conditions in which temperature is set at thermoneutrality, food intake totally controlled, activity precisely measured, and data acquisition performed at very high frequency to give access to the part of the respiratory exchanges that are due to activity. In these conditions, it is possible to quantify basal energy expenditure, energy expenditure associated with muscular work, and response to feeding or to any other metabolic challenge. This reveals defects in the control of energy metabolism that cannot be observed from measurements of total energy expenditure in free feeding individuals.

1989 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 402-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denis Richard ◽  
Serge Rivest

The role of exercise training in energy balance has been reviewed. Recent well-conducted studies showed that exercise may increase energy expenditure not only during the period of exercise itself but during the postexercise period as well. This notion of excess postexercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), which has been a controversial issue for many years, is now becoming a generally well-accepted concept, the consensus being that EPOC takes place following prolonged and strenuous exercise bouts. Besides, the role of EPOC in long-term energy balance remains to be determined. Long-term energy balance studies carried out in rats show that exercise affects energy balance by altering food intake and promoting energy expenditure. In male rats exercise causes a marked decrease in energy intake which contributes, in association with the expenditure of exercise itself, to retard lean and fat tissue growth. From the suppressed deposition of lean body mass, decreases in basal metabolic rate can be predicted in males. In female rats, exercise does not affect food intake; the lower energy gain of exercise-trained females results from the elevated expenditure rate associated with exercise itself. In both male and female rats, there is no evidence that exercise training affects energy expenditure other than during exercise itself unless the habitual feeding pattern of the rats is radically modified. The interactive effects of diet and exercise, which have to be further investigated in long-term energy balance, emerge as a promising area of research.Key words: exercise training, nutritional energetics, brown adipose tissue, diet-induced thermogenesis, body composition.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Cimino ◽  
Debra Rimmington ◽  
Y. C. Loraine Tung ◽  
Katherine Lawler ◽  
Pierre Larraufie ◽  
...  

AbstractNeuronatin (Nnat) has previously been reported to be part of a network of imprinted genes downstream of the chromatin regulator Trim28. Disruption of Trim28 or of members of this network, including neuronatin, results in an unusual phenotype of a bimodal body weight. To better characterise this variability, we examined the key contributors to energy balance in Nnat+/−p mice that carry a paternal null allele and do not express Nnat. Consistent with our previous studies, Nnat deficient mice on chow diet displayed a bimodal body weight phenotype with more than 30% of Nnat+/−p mice developing obesity. In response to both a 45% high fat diet and exposure to thermoneutrality (30 °C) Nnat deficient mice maintained the hypervariable body weight phenotype. Within a calorimetry system, food intake in Nnat+/−p mice was hypervariable, with some mice consuming more than twice the intake seen in wild type littermates. A hyperphagic response was also seen in Nnat+/−p mice in a second, non-home cage environment. An expected correlation between body weight and energy expenditure was seen, but corrections for the effects of positive energy balance and body weight greatly diminished the effect of neuronatin deficiency on energy expenditure. Male and female Nnat+/−p mice displayed subtle distinctions in the degree of variance body weight phenotype and food intake and further sexual dimorphism was reflected in different patterns of hypothalamic gene expression in Nnat+/−p mice. Loss of the imprinted gene Nnat is associated with a highly variable food intake, with the impact of this phenotype varying between genetically identical individuals.


2012 ◽  
Vol 302 (7) ◽  
pp. E885-E895 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Solverson ◽  
Sangita G. Murali ◽  
Adam S. Brinkman ◽  
David W. Nelson ◽  
Murray K. Clayton ◽  
...  

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is caused by a mutation in the phenylalanine (phe) hydroxylase gene and requires a low-phe diet plus amino acid (AA) formula to prevent cognitive impairment. Glycomacropeptide (GMP) contains minimal phe and provides a palatable alternative to AA formula. Our objective was to compare growth, body composition, and energy balance in Pahenu2 (PKU) and wild-type mice fed low-phe GMP, low-phe AA, or high-phe casein diets from 3–23 wk of age. The 2 × 2 × 3 design included main effects of genotype, sex, and diet. Fat and lean mass were assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and acute energy balance was assessed by indirect calorimetry. PKU mice showed growth and lean mass similar to wild-type littermates fed the GMP or AA diets; however, they exhibited a 3–15% increase in energy expenditure, as reflected in oxygen consumption, and a 3–30% increase in food intake. The GMP diet significantly reduced energy expenditure, food intake, and plasma phe concentration in PKU mice compared with the casein diet. The high-phe casein diet or the low-phe AA diet induced metabolic stress in PKU mice, as reflected in increased energy expenditure and intake of food and water, increased renal and spleen mass, and elevated plasma cytokine concentrations consistent with systemic inflammation. The low-phe GMP diet significantly attenuated these adverse effects. Moreover, total fat mass, %body fat, and the respiratory exchange ratio (CO2 produced/O2 consumed) were significantly lower in PKU mice fed GMP compared with AA diets. In summary, GMP provides a physiological source of low-phe dietary protein that promotes growth and attenuates the metabolic stress induced by a high-phe casein or low-phe AA diet in PKU mice.


1989 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. H. Forbes-Ewan ◽  
B. L. Morrissey ◽  
G. C. Gregg ◽  
D. R. Waters

The doubly labeled water method was used to estimate the energy expended by four members of an Australian Army platoon (34 soldiers) engaged in training for jungle warfare. Each subject received an oral isotope dose sufficient to raise isotope levels by 200–250 (18O) and 100–120 ppm (2H). The experimental period was 7 days. Concurrently, a factorial estimate of the energy expenditure of the platoon was conducted. Also, a food intake-energy balance study was conducted for the platoon. Mean daily energy expenditure by the doubly labeled water method was 4,750 kcal (range 4,152–5,394 kcal). The factorial estimate of mean daily energy expenditure was 4,535 kcal. Because of inherent inaccuracies in the food intake-energy balance technique, we were able to conclude only that energy expenditure, as measured by this method, was greater than the estimated mean daily intake of 4,040 kcal. The doubly labeled water technique was well tolerated, is noninvasive, and appears to be suitable in a wide range of field applications.


2012 ◽  
Vol 109 (1) ◽  
pp. 173-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Whybrow ◽  
Patrick Ritz ◽  
Graham W. Horgan ◽  
R. James Stubbs

Objective estimates of activity patterns and energy expenditure (EE) are important for the measurement of energy balance. The Intelligent Device for Energy Expenditure and Activity (IDEEA) can estimate EE from the thirty-five postures and activities it can identify and record. The present study evaluated the IDEEA system's estimation of EE using whole-body indirect calorimetry over 24 h, and in free-living subjects using doubly-labelled water (DLW) over 14 d. EE was calculated from the IDEEA data using calibration values for RMR and EE while sitting and standing, both as estimated by the IDEEA system (IDEEAest) and measured by indirect calorimetry (IDEEAmeas). Subjects were seven females and seven males, mean age 38·1 and 39·7 years, mean BMI 25·2 and 26·2 kg/m2, respectively. The IDEEAest method produced a similar estimate of EE to the calorimeter (10·8 and 10·8 MJ, NS), while the IDEEAmeas method underestimated EE (9·9 MJ, P < 0·001). After removing data from static cycling, which the IDEEA was unable to identify as an activity, both the IDEEAest and IDEEAmeas methods overestimated EE compared to the calorimeter (9·9 MJ, P < 0·001; 9·1 MJ, P < 0·05 and 8·6 MJ, respectively). Similarly, the IDEEA system overestimated EE compared to DLW over 14 d; 12·7 MJ/d (P < 0·01), 11·5 MJ/d (P < 0·01) and 9·5 MJ/d for the IDEEAest, IDEEAmeas and DLW, respectively. The IDEEA system overestimated EE both in the controlled laboratory and free-living environments. Using measured EE values for RMR, sitting and standing reduced, but did not eliminate, the error in estimated EE.


2007 ◽  
Vol 192 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A Bechtold ◽  
Simon M Luckman

In the three decades since FMRFamide was isolated from the clam Macrocallista nimbosa, the list of RFamide peptides has been steadily growing. These peptides occur widely across the animal kingdom, including five groups of RFamide peptides identified in mammals. Although there is tremendous diversity in structure and biological activity in the RFamides, the involvement of these peptides in the regulation of energy balance and feeding behaviour appears consistently through evolution. Even so, questions remain as to whether feeding-related actions represent a primary function of the RFamides, especially within mammals. However, as we will discuss here, the study of RFamide function is rapidly expanding and with it so is our understanding of how these peptides can influence food intake directly as well as related aspects of feeding behaviour and energy expenditure.


2008 ◽  
Vol 295 (1) ◽  
pp. E78-E84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabine Strassburg ◽  
Stefan D. Anker ◽  
Tamara R. Castaneda ◽  
Lukas Burget ◽  
Diego Perez-Tilve ◽  
...  

Ghrelin, an endogenous ligand of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R), is the only circulating agent to powerfully promote a positive energy balance. Such action is mediated predominantly by central nervous system pathways controlling food intake, energy expenditure, and nutrient partitioning. The ghrelin pathway may therefore offer therapeutic potential for the treatment of catabolic states. However, the potency of the endogenous hormone ghrelin is limited due to a short half-life and the fragility of its bioactivity ensuring acylation at serine 3. Therefore, we tested the metabolic effects of two recently generated GHS-R agonists, BIM-28125 and BIM-28131, compared with ghrelin. All agents were administered continuously for 1 mo in doses of 50 and 500 nmol·kg−1·day−1 using implanted subcutaneous minipumps in rats. High-dose treatment with single agonists or ghrelin increased body weight gain by promoting fat mass, whereas BIM-28131 was the only one also increasing lean mass significantly. Food intake increased during treatment with BIM-28131 or ghrelin, whereas no effects on energy expenditure were detected. With the lower dose, only BIM-28131 had a significant effect on body weight. This also held true when the compound was administered by subcutaneous injection three times/day. No symptoms or signs of undesired effects were observed in any of the studies or treated groups. These results characterize BIM-28131 as a promising GHS-R agonist with an attractive action profile for the treatment of catabolic disease states such as cachexia.


1995 ◽  
Vol 268 (1) ◽  
pp. R142-R149 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. Strack ◽  
R. J. Sebastian ◽  
M. W. Schwartz ◽  
M. F. Dallman

Signals that regulate long-term energy balance have been difficult to identify. Increasingly strong evidence indicates that insulin, acting on the central nervous system in part through its effect on neuropeptide Y (NPY), inhibits food intake. We hypothesized that corticosteroids and insulin might serve as interacting, reciprocal signals for energy balance, acting on energy acquisition, in part through their effects on hypothalamic NPY, as well as on energy stores. Because glucocorticoids also stimulate insulin secretion, their role is normally obscured. Glucocorticoids and insulin were clamped in adrenalectomized rats with steroid replacement and streptozotocin-induced diabetes. Glucocorticoids stimulated and insulin inhibited NPY mRNA and food intake. Glucocorticoids inhibited and insulin increased energy gain as determined by the change in body weight. When adrenalectomized diabetic rats were treated, corticosterone stimulated and insulin inhibited food intake, and, respectively, inhibited and increased overall energy gain. More than 50% of the variance was explained by regression analysis of the two hormones on food intake and body weight. Thus glucocorticoids and insulin are major, antagonistic, long-term regulators of energy balance. The effects of corticosterone and insulin on food intake may be mediated, in part, through regulation of hypothalamic NPY synthesis and secretion.


2009 ◽  
Vol 296 (3) ◽  
pp. R469-R475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Guesdon ◽  
Éric Paradis ◽  
Pierre Samson ◽  
Denis Richard

The brain melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) system represents an anabolic system involved in energy balance regulation through influences exerted on the homeostatic and nonhomeostatic controls of food intake and energy expenditure. The present study was designed to further delineate the effect of the MCH system on energy balance regulation by assessing the actions of the MCH receptor 1 (MCHR1) agonism on both food intake and energy expenditure after intracerebroventricular (third ventricle) and intra-nucleus-accumbens-shell (intraNAcSH) injections of a MCHR1 agonist. Total energy expenditure and substrate oxidation were assessed following injections in male Wistar rats using indirect calorimetry. Food intake was also measured. Pair-fed groups were added to evaluate changes in thermogenesis that would occur regardless of the meal size and its thermogenic response. Using such experimental conditions, we were able to demonstrate that acute MCH agonism in the brain, besides its orexigenic effect, induced a noticeable change in the utilization of the main metabolic fuels. In pair-fed animals, MCH significantly reduced lipid oxidation when it was injected in the third ventricle. Such an effect was not observed following the injection of MCH in the NAcSH, where MCH nonetheless strongly stimulated appetite. The present results further delineate the influence of MCH on energy expenditure and substrate oxidation while confirming the key role of the NAcSH in the effects of the MCH system on food intake.


Author(s):  
Sarah L McLennan ◽  
Amanda Henry ◽  
Lynne M Roberts ◽  
Sai S Siritharan ◽  
Melissa Ojurovic ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Preeclampsia is a major pregnancy complication associated with long-term maternal cardiometabolic disease. Research generally is focused on metabolic and pathophysiological changes during pregnancy, however, there is much less focus on the early postpartum period in subjects who suffered preeclampsia. The aim of this study was to (a) characterise energy intake and expenditure six months following normotensive and preeclamptic pregnancies, and (b) examine associations between energy balance, body composition, insulin resistance measures (HOMA-IR), and clinical characteristics. Design A cross-sectional study six months following normotensive (n=75) and preeclamptic (n=22) pregnancies was performed. Metabolic measurements included: anthropometrics measures, body composition via bioelectrical impedance analysis, 24-hour energy expenditure via SenseWear Armbands, energy intake via a three-day food diary, and serum metabolic parameters. Results Six months following preeclampsia, women had a significantly higher weight (77.3±20.9kg versus 64.5±11.4kg, p=0.01), fat mass percentage (FM%) (40.7±7.4% versus 34.9±8.1%, p=0.004), and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR 2.2±1.5 versus 1.0±0.7, p=0.003), as well as reduced HDL levels (1.5±0.4 mmol/L versus 1.8±0.4 mmol/L, p=0.01) compared to normotensive women. Women post-preeclampsia had lower activity-related energy expenditure (p=0.02) but a decreased total energy intake (p=0.02), leading to a more negative energy balance compared to their normotensive counterparts (-1,942 kJ/24-hours versus -480 kJ/24-hours; p=0.02). Conclusion Increases in insulin resistance and FM%, reduced HDL, and more sedentary lifestyles characterise the postpartum period following preeclamptic compared with normotensive pregnancies. Early post-preeclampsia interventions, such as lifestyle behaviour change, should be implemented and assessed to determine whether they reduce long-term cardiometabolic risk in women who experienced preeclampsia during pregnancy.


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