Transforming growth factor-beta in the brain enhances fat oxidation via noradrenergic neurons in the ventromedial and paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus

Teppei Fujikawa, Shigenobu Matsumura, Hiroyuki Yamada, Kazuo Inoue, Tohru Fushiki

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Scopus citations

Abstract

We have previously reported that intracisternal administration of TGF-beta induces an increase in fat oxidation and that intracisternal administration of anti-TGF-beta antibody partially inhibits an increase in fat oxidation during treadmill running in rats. These results indicate a regulatory role of that TGF-beta in the brain on fat oxidation during exercise. However, it is not clear how TGF-beta in the brain enhance fat oxidation. We hypothesized that TGF-beta in the brain elicits its regulatory effects on fat oxidation via hypothalamic noradrenergic neurons, because some reports have demonstrated the important role of hypothalamic noradrenergic neurons in the regulation of fat oxidation during and after exercise. To examine this hypothesis, we measured the extracellular noradrenaline (NA) levels in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVH), ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH) and lateral hypothalamic area, which are especially important in the regulation of energy metabolism, after intracisternal administration of TGF-beta by using an in vivo brain microdialysis. Microdialysis study revealed that intracisternal administration of TGF-beta3 caused increases in the NA levels in the PVH and VMH. Then, we investigated the impact of impairment of noradrenergic neurons in the PVH and VMH by neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine microinjection (NA-lesion) on the action of intracisternal administration of TGF-beta. The NA lesion completely abolished the regulatory effect of TGF-beta on fat oxidation. These results suggest that TGF-beta in the brain enhances fat oxidation via noradrenergic neurons in the PVH and VMH.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)92-101
Number of pages10
JournalBrain Research
Volume1173
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 10 2007

Keywords

  • Energy metabolism
  • Fat oxidation
  • Hypothalamus
  • Microdialysis
  • Noradrenergic neuron
  • Transforming growth factor-beta

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Neuroscience
  • Molecular Biology
  • Clinical Neurology
  • Developmental Biology

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