Chronic norepinephrine infusion stimulates glucose uptake in white and brown adipose tissues

1994 ◽  
Vol 266 (3) ◽  
pp. R914-R920 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. Liu ◽  
F. Perusse ◽  
L. J. Bukowiecki

Cold exposure activates the sympathetic nervous system and markedly stimulates glucose uptake in rat peripheral tissues [A. L. Vallerand, F. Perusse, and L. J. Bukowiecki. Am. J. Physiol 259 (Regulatory Integrative Comp. Physiol. 28): R1043-R1049, 1990]. To test whether norepinephrine (NE) mimics the effects of cold exposure, we estimated the effects of chronic NE treatment on tissue glucose uptake by determining the glucose metabolic index using the 2-[1,2-3H(N)]deoxy-D-glucose method. NE was administered in conscious rats at various doses (ranging from 1.9 to 25.1 nmol.kg-1.min-1) during 4 days via minipumps implanted subcutaneously. At doses > 10 nmol.kg-1.min-1, NE maximally stimulated glucose uptake in interscapular brown adipose tissue (approximately 50 times above controls) and epididymal white adipose tissue (approximately 3 times above controls). NE infusion (18.8 nmol.kg-1.min-1) increased the circulating levels of NE from 1.1 +/- 0.1 to 19.2 +/- 0.4 nM (P < 0.001), which is in the range of concentrations for the stimulatory effects of NE on glucose uptake in isolated brown adipocytes. At all concentrations tested, NE infusion did not stimulate glucose uptake in the heart and skeletal muscles. NE treatment did not significantly alter plasma insulin or glucose levels but increased the concentration of circulating free fatty acids. The capacity of brown adipose tissue for NE stimulation of glucose uptake (expressed per g of tissue) was much higher than that of white adipose tissue (100 times), various types of white or red skeletal muscles (10-80 times), or the heart (3-4 times).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

1987 ◽  
Vol 253 (2) ◽  
pp. E179-E186 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. L. Vallerand ◽  
F. Perusse ◽  
L. J. Bukowiecki

The effects of cold exposure (48 h at 4 degrees C) and insulin injection (0.5 U/kg iv) on the rates of net 2-[3H]deoxyglucose uptake (Ki) in peripheral tissues were investigated in warm-acclimated rats (25 degrees C). Cold exposure and insulin treatment independently increased Ki values in skeletal muscles (soleus, extensor digitorum longus, and vastus lateralis), heart, white adipose tissue (subcutaneous, gonadal, and retroperitoneal), and brown adipose tissue (P less than 0.01). The effects of cold exposure were particularly evident in brown adipose tissue where the Ki increased greater than 100 times. When the two treatments were combined (insulin injection in cold-exposed rats), it was found that cold exposure synergistically enhanced the maximal insulin responses for glucose uptake in brown adipose tissue, all white adipose tissue depots, and skeletal muscles investigated. The results indicate that cold exposure induces an "insulin-like" effect on Ki that does not appear to be specifically associated with shivering thermogenesis in skeletal muscles, because that effect was observed in all insulin-sensitive tissues. The data also demonstrate that cold exposure significantly potentiates the maximal insulin responses for glucose uptake in the same tissues. This potentialization may result from an enhanced responsiveness of peripheral tissues to insulin, possibly occurring at metabolic steps lying beyond the insulin receptor and an increased tissue blood flow augmenting glucose and insulin availability and thereby amplifying glucose uptake.


1989 ◽  
Vol 257 (1) ◽  
pp. R96-R101 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Shibata ◽  
F. Perusse ◽  
A. Vallerand ◽  
L. J. Bukowiecki

The effects of fasting and cold exposure on glucose uptake in skeletal muscles (tibialis anterior, quadriceps, and soleus), heart, and brown adipose tissue (BAT) were studied in conscious rats. Glucose uptake was estimated by determining the glucose metabolic index of individual tissues using the 2-[3H]deoxyglucose method. Fasting for 18 h at 25 degrees C decreased plasma glucose levels (-40%) and glucose uptake in heart (-95%) and skeletal muscles (-64-90%) but did not significantly affect glucose uptake in BAT. Fasting for 48 h did not further decrease these parameters. On the other hand, cold exposure (48 h at 5 degrees C) of fed animals did not alter plasma glucose levels but increased glucose uptake in heart (73%), skeletal muscles (126-326%), and particularly in BAT (95-fold). Remarkably, cold exposure stimulated glucose uptake in BAT and skeletal muscles of 18-h fasted rats by the same order of magnitude as in fed animals (percentagewise), thereby indicating that glucose represents an essential metabolite for shivering (muscles) and nonshivering (BAT) thermogeneses. In the heart of starved animals, the cold-induced increase in glucose uptake was even more important (8-fold) than in fed animals. Considering that cold exposure of fasted rats results in a severe insulinopenia, it is suggested that cold exposure stimulates glucose uptake in peripheral tissues primarily by enhancing glucose oxidation via insulin-independent pathways.


1990 ◽  
Vol 259 (5) ◽  
pp. R1043-R1049 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. L. Vallerand ◽  
F. Perusse ◽  
L. J. Bukowiecki

The effects of cold exposure on the net rates of 2-[3H]deoxy-D-glucose uptake (Ki) in rat peripheral tissues were investigated comparatively in warm- and cold-acclimated animals to determine whether cold acclimation induces regulatory alterations in glucose metabolism. Acute exposure of warm-acclimated (25 degrees C) rats to cold (48 h at 5 degrees C) markedly increased the Ki values in red and white skeletal muscles (2-5 times), in the heart (8 times), in several white adipose tissue (WAT) depots (4-20 times), and in brown adipose tissue (BAT) (110 times). After cold acclimation (3 wk at 5 degrees C), the Ki values further increased in the heart (15 times) and WAT (up to 29 times) but decreased in BAT (36 times). Remarkably, glucose uptake was still increased in muscles of cold-exposed/cold-acclimated animals (that do not shiver), demonstrating that enhanced glucose uptake may occur in muscles in the absence of shivering thermogenesis (or contractile activity). When cold-acclimated rats were returned to the warm for 18 h, the Ki values of all tissues, except WAT, returned to control levels. Cold exposure synergistically potentiated the stimulation of tissue glucose uptake induced by a maximal effective dose of insulin (0.5 U/kg iv) in warm- as well as in cold-acclimated animals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


1988 ◽  
Vol 252 (3) ◽  
pp. 843-849 ◽  
Author(s):  
F J López-Soriano ◽  
J A Fernández-López ◽  
T Mampel ◽  
F Villarroya ◽  
R Iglesias ◽  
...  

The net uptake/release of glucose, lactate and amino acids from the bloodstream by the interscapular brown adipose tissue of control, cold-exposed and cold-acclimated rats was estimated by measurement of arteriovenous differences in their concentrations. In the control animals amino acids contributed little to the overall energetic needs of the tissue; glucose uptake was more than compensated by lactate efflux. Cold-exposure resulted in an enhancement of amino acid utilization and of glucose uptake, with high lactate efflux. There was a net glycine and proline efflux that partly compensated the positive nitrogen balance of the tissue; amino acids accounted for about one-third of the energy supplied by glucose to the tissue. Cold-acclimation resulted in a very high increase in glucose uptake, with a parallel decrease in lactate efflux and amino acid consumption. Branched-chain amino acids, however, were more actively utilized. This was related with a much higher alanine efflux, in addition to that of glycine and proline. It is suggested that most of the glucose used during cold-exposure is returned to the bloodstream as lactate under conditions of active lipid utilization, amino acids contributing their skeletons largely in anaplerotic pathways. On the other hand, cold-acclimation resulted in an important enhancement of glucose utilization, with lowered amino acid oxidation. Amino acids are thus used as metabolic substrates by the brown adipose tissue of rats under conditions of relatively scarce substrate availability, but mainly as anaplerotic substrates, in parallel to glucose. Cold-acclimation results in a shift of the main substrates used in thermogenesis from lipid to glucose, with a much lower need for amino acids.


1984 ◽  
Vol 247 (2) ◽  
pp. R290-R295 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. S. Fisler ◽  
T. Yoshida ◽  
G. A. Bray

Catecholamine turnover in response to fasting, cold exposure, and a high-fat diet has been measured in the Osborne-Mendel rat, which readily develops obesity when fed a high-fat diet, and the S 5B/P1 rat, which does not. We have tested the hypothesis that this difference in response to diet might be associated with altered rates of norepinephrine or epinephrine turnover. The endogenous norepinephrine concentration in interscapular brown adipose tissue was significantly greater in fasted S 5B/P1 rats than in fasted Osborne-Mendel rats. The fractional norepinephrine turnover rate in interscapular brown adipose tissue of fasted animals was also greater in the S 5B/P1 rat than in the Osborne-Mendel rat. Cold exposure increased the fractional norepinephrine turnover rate in interscapular brown adipose tissue for both strains of rats but increased the fractional norepinephrine turnover rate in the pancreas in only the Osborne-Mendel rats. The turnover of epinephrine and the adrenal concentration of this hormone were not different between the two strains. Normal and high-fat diets were fed to both strains; the Osborne-Mendel rats were pair fed the high-fat diet to prevent excess weight gain. Endogenous concentrations of norepinephrine in interscapular brown adipose tissue was increased by the high-fat diet; the increase was greater in S 5B/P1 rats. The high-fat diet resulted in increased norepinephrine turnover in interscapular brown adipose tissue of the S 5B/P1 rat but not the Osborne-Mendel rat.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


1983 ◽  
Vol 244 (4) ◽  
pp. R500-R507 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. J. Bukowiecki ◽  
J. Lupien ◽  
N. Follea ◽  
L. Jahjah

Rats consuming Coca-Cola and Purina chow ad libitum increased their total energy intake by 50% without excess weight gain. Their resistance to cold was markedly improved. These phenomena were characterized by significant increases in interscapular brown adipose tissue weight (IBAT) (91%), cellularity (59%), triglyceride content (52%), protein content (94%), and cytochrome oxidase activity (167%). In contrast, Coca-Cola consumption did not significantly affect the cellularity or triglyceride content of parametrial white adipose tissue (PWAT), although it slightly augmented PWAT weight. The effects of Coca-Cola on cold resistance, IBAT cellularity, and composition were entirely reproduced by sucrose, but not caffeine, consumption. Although caffeine also increased IBAT cellularity and composition, it significantly decreased the rate of body weight gain, PWAT weight, and adipocyte size. Moreover, it markedly inhibited adipocyte proliferation in PWAT thereby mimicking the effects of exercise training and food restriction (Bukowiecki et al., Am. J. Physiol. 239 (Endocrinol. Metab. 2): E422-E429, 1980). It is concluded a) that sucrose and Coca-Cola consumption improve the resistance of rats to cold, most probably by increasing brown adipose tissue cellularity, and b) that moderate caffeine intake might be useful for inhibiting proliferative activity in white adipose tissue, thereby preventing obesity.


2018 ◽  
Vol 315 (5) ◽  
pp. E815-E824 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sébastien M. Labbé ◽  
Alexandre Caron ◽  
William T. Festuccia ◽  
Roger Lecomte ◽  
Denis Richard

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis is a key controller of energy metabolism. In response to cold or other adrenergic stimuli, brown adipocytes increase their substrate uptake and oxidative activity while uncoupling ATP synthesis from the mitochondrial respiratory chain activity. Brown adipocytes are found in classic depots such as in the interscapular BAT (iBAT). They can also develop in white adipose tissue (WAT), such as in the inguinal WAT (iWAT), where their presence has been associated with metabolic improvements. We previously reported that the induction of oxidative metabolism in iWAT is low compared with that of iBAT, even after sustained adrenergic stimulation. One explanation to this apparent lack of thermogenic ability of iWAT is the presence of an active iBAT, which may prevent the full activation of iWAT. In this study, we evaluated whether iBAT denervation-induced browning of white fat enhanced the thermogenic activity of iWAT following cold acclimation, under beta-3 adrenergic stimulation (CL 316,243). Following a bilateral denervation of iBAT, we assessed energy balance, evaluated the oxidative activity of iBAT and iWAT using 11C-acetate, and quantified the dynamic glucose uptake of those tissues using 2-deoxy-2-[18F]- fluoro-d-glucose. Our results indicate that despite portraying marked browning and mildly enhanced glucose uptake, iWAT of cold-adapted mice does not exhibit significant oxidative activity following beta-3 adrenergic stimulation in the absence of a functional iBAT. The present results suggest that iWAT is not readily recruitable as a thermogenic organ even when functional iBAT is lacking.


1984 ◽  
Vol 247 (2) ◽  
pp. E181-E189 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Landsberg ◽  
M. E. Saville ◽  
J. B. Young

The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) plays a critical role in the regulation of mammalian thermogenic responses to cold exposure and dietary intake. Catecholamine-stimulated thermogenesis is mediated by the beta-adrenergic receptor. In the rat brown adipose tissue is the major site of metabolic heat production in response to both cold (nonshivering thermogenesis) and diet (diet-induced thermogenesis). Measurements of norepinephrine turnover rate in interscapular brown adipose tissue of the rat demonstrate increased sympathetic activity in response to both cold exposure and overfeeding. In adult humans, a physiologically significant role for brown adipose tissue has not been established but cannot be excluded. It appears likely that dietary changes in SNS activity are related, at least in part, to the changes in metabolic rate that occur in association with changes in dietary intake.


2003 ◽  
Vol 81 (7) ◽  
pp. 747-751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessio Sullo ◽  
Guglielmo Brizzi ◽  
Nicola Maffulli

Serotonin (5-HT) and thyroid hormones are part of a complex system modulating eating behaviour and energy expenditure. 5'-Deiodinase (5'-D) converts the relatively inactive thyroxine (T4) to triiodothyronine (T3), and its activity is an indirect measure of T3 production in peripheral tissues, particularly in the brain, intrascapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT), heart, liver, and kidney. We evaluated the effect of 5-HT on 5'-D activity during basal conditions and after short (30 min) cold exposure (thyroid stimulating hormone stimulation test, TST). 5'-D activity was assessed in the liver, heart, brain, kidney, and IBAT. TST increases 5'-D activity in the brain, heart, and IBAT and decreases it in kidney, leaving it unchanged in the liver. 5-HT alone did not modify 5'-D activity in the organs under study but decreased it in the IBAT, heart, and brain when injected before the TST was administered. Our results confirm the important role of 5-HT in thermoregulation, given its peripheral site of action, in modulating heat production controlling intracellular T3 production. These effects are more evident when heat production is upregulated during cold exposure in organs containing type II 5'-D, such as the brain, heart, and IBAT, which are able to modify their function during conditions that alter energy balance. In conclusion, 5-HT may also act peripherally directly on the thyroid and organs containing type II 5'-D, thus controlling energy expenditure through heat production.Key words: serotonin, deiodinase activity, thyroid hormone, brown adipose tissue, thermogenesis, rat organs.


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