Role of adrenergic receptor b1 e b2 in facultative thermogenesis.

Author(s)

Cintia Bagne Ueta

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB/SDI)
• Defense date: 2009-03-17

Examining board members

Cecilia Helena de Azevedo Gouveia Ferreira; Maria Luiza Morais Barreto de Chaves; Miriam Oliveira Ribeiro

• Advisor: Cecilia Helena de Azevedo Gouveia Ferreira

Abstract

The body weight of animals tends to be relatively stable over long periods of time. Situations of caloric restriction or increase in intake of calories lead to compensatory physiological changes that resist the effects of these disorders. In fact, the energy expenditure increases in animals treated with diet hypercaloric called facultative thermogenesis, in order to keep to energy stock constant. Defects in this facultative thermogenesis may be related to the development of obesity. Brown adipose tissue is the main site of facultative thermogenesis and is activated by signaling of b1, b2 e b3 adrenergic receptors by Norepinephrine released by Sympathetic Nervous System. Several studies showed that the isoforms b of adrenergic receptors are important in mechanisms involved in obesity and also in promoting cold tolerance. Nonetheless, it is unclear the role of each isoform in these process. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to evaluate the role of isoforms b1 and b2 in mediate the facultative thermogenesis. For that, we fed nocaute mice for the adrenergic receptor b1 (KOb1) and nocaute mice for the adrenergic receptor b2 (KOb2) with high fat diet for 22 weeks. During treatment body weight was determined daily. By the end of the experiment oxygen consumption was measured using a system of open respirometry and body composition was determined by analysis of the carcass. We also exposed KOb1 and KOb2 animals to cold (4C). The thermogenic response of iBAT was evaluated through i.v NE infusion. The results obtained in our study showed that the animals KOb1 and KOb2 treated with high fat diet did not gain more fat when compared to wild type animals, but are unable to increase the oxygen consumption, suggesting that these receptors are not relevant in development of obesity. Furthermore, our data indicate that the presence of the b1 receptor is required for cold-induced thermogenesis, since the KOb1 mice are sensitive to cold and BAT thermogenic response is significantly impaired when compared with animals wild type. The absence of b2 receptor does not worsen the response of animals to cold suggesting that this isoform is not involved in the diet- or cold- induced thermogenesis. In conclusion, our findings indicate that the b1 isoform of the adrenergic receptor is critical in the cold-induced thermogenesis, but not in diet induced thermogenesis. Moreover, it is likely that the diet-induced thermogenesis and cold-induced thermogenesis are regulated by different mechanisms. (AU)