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J Biol Chem, Vol. 273, Issue 47, 31160-31167, November 20, 1998
From the Diabetes Research and Training Center and Division of
Endocrinology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine,
Bronx, New York 10461
Acute intravenous infusions of leptin markedly
alter hepatic glucose fluxes (Rossetti, L., Massillon, D., Barzilai,
N., Vuguin, P., Chen, W., Hawkins, M., Wu, J., and Wang, J. (1997)
J. Biol. Chem. 272, 27758-22763). Here we examine
whether intracerebroventricular (ICV) leptin administration regulates
peripheral and hepatic insulin action. Recombinant mouse leptin
(n = 14; 0.02 or 1 µg/kg·h) or vehicle
(n = 9) were administered ICV for 6 h to
conscious rats, and insulin action was determined by insulin (3 milliunits/kg·min) clamp and tracer dilution techniques. During
physiologic hyperinsulinemia (~65 microunits/ml), the rates of
glucose uptake (Rd, 20.1 ± 0.6 and 23.1 ± 0.7 versus 21.7 ± 0.6 mg/kg·min;
p = NS), glycolysis and glycogen synthesis were
similar in rats receiving low- and high-dose leptin versus
vehicle. ICV leptin resulted in a 2-3-fold increase in hepatic
phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase mRNA levels. Glycogenolysis and
PEP-gluconeogenesis (2.1 ± 0.3 mg/kg·min) contributed similarly
to endogenous glucose production (GP) in the vehicle-infused group.
However, gluconeogenesis accounted for ~80% of GP in both groups
receiving ICV leptin, while hepatic glycogenolysis was markedly
suppressed (0.7 ± 0.3 and 1.2 ± 0.3 versus
2.2 ± 0.4 mg/kg·min, in rats receiving low- and high-dose leptin versus vehicle, respectively; p < 0.01). In summary, short-term ICV leptin administration: 1) failed to
affect peripheral insulin action, but 2) induced a striking
re-distribution of intrahepatic glucose fluxes. The latter effect
largely reproduced that of leptin given systemically at much higher
doses. Thus, the regulation of hepatic glucose fluxes by leptin is
largely mediated via its central receptors.
Leptin, the protein encoded by the ob gene, is an
anorectic hormone secreted by adipose cells (1-6). The effects of
leptin on food intake are reproduced by its injection directly in the central nervous system, thus suggesting a prominent role of the hypothalamic receptors in mediating its actions (7-12). In the long
term, circulating leptin levels correlate with adiposity (3, 8, 10, 13,
14) and leptin has been suggested to function as a "biochemical
messenger" between fat depots and the hypothalamus (7, 10, 11, 14,
15).
Nutritional and hormonal factors can also regulate ob gene
expression in adipose cells and leptin levels in plasma (3, 13, 14, 16,
17). Most important, it has become increasingly evident that leptin
plays in turn an important role in the regulation of carbohydrate and
lipid metabolism (9, 14, 18-24). We have recently demonstrated that
marked and acute elevations in the plasma leptin concentrations
modulate the hepatic gene expression of the gluconeogenic enzyme
phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK)1 and the rate of
gluconeogenesis (22). It is presently unknown whether the latter
metabolic effects of leptin are, at least in part, mediated through its
action on hypothalamic receptors.
Therefore the primary aim of this study was to examine the metabolic
impact of intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusions of leptin on
peripheral and hepatic glucose metabolism under basal conditions and in
response to physiologic hyperinsulinemia. Furthermore, as recent
studies have suggested that a highly selective
Experimental Animals--
Thirty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats
(Charles River Laboratories, Wilmington, MA) were studied. Rats were
housed in individual cages and subjected to a standard light (6 a.m. to
6 p.m.) -dark (6 p.m. to 6 a.m.) cycle. One week before the
in vivo study, a group of rats (n = 23; at
~10 weeks of age) were equipped with chronic catheters placed in the
third cerebral ventricle, the left carotid artery, and the right
internal jugular vein. Rats were anesthetized with intraperitoneal
ketamine (Ketaset, 87 mg/kg) and xylazine (Rompun, 11 mg/kg) and fixed
in a stereotaxic apparatus with ear bars and a nose piece set at +5.0
mm. A 26-gauge stainless steel guide cannula (Plastics One, Roanoke,
VA) was chronically implanted into the third ventricle using the
following coordinates from bregma: anterior-posterior; +0.2 mm,
dorsal-ventral; ICV Studies--
Rats were divided in three experimental groups.
One consisted of 9 rats receiving an ICV infusion of vehicle for 6 h (leptin 0) and the other 2 groups consisted of 7 rats each receiving
ICV infusions of recombinant mouse leptin (gift of Dr. M. McCaleb, Amgen, Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA; >95% pure by SDS-polyacrylamide gel
electrophoresis) at the rate of 20 ng/kg·h and 1 µg/kg·h for 6 h (leptin 30 ng, and leptin 1.5 µg). All rats received the
euglycemic clamp protocol described below during the last 2 h of
the 6-h vehicle or leptin infusions.
Systemic Studies--
Rats were divided in three experimental
groups. One consisted of 5 rats receiving an intra-arterial infusion of
vehicle for 6 h (CON). A second group of 3 rats received a
systemic infusion of recombinant mouse leptin at the rate of 30 µg/kg·h for 6 h (LEP). A third group of 3 rats received a
systemic infusion of the selective Euglycemic Hyperinsulinemic Clamp Studies--
Studies were
performed in unrestrained rats using the insulin clamp technique
(25-27), in combination with high performance liquid
chromatography-purified [3-3H]glucose and
[U-14C]lactate infusions, as described previously (27,
28). Food was removed for ~5 h before the in vivo
protocol. All studies lasted 360 min and included a 120-min
equilibration period, a 120-min basal period for assessment of the
postabsorptive rates of glucose turnover, and a 120-min
hyperinsulinemic clamp period. At the beginning of the basal period and
120 min before starting the glucose/insulin infusions, a
primed-continuous infusion of high performance liquid
chromatography-purified [3-3H]glucose (NEN Life Science
Products, Boston, MA; 20 µCi of bolus, 0.2 µCi/min) was initiated
and maintained throughout the remaining 4 h of the study.
[U-14C]Lactate (5 µCi of bolus/0.25 µCi/min) was
infused during the last 10 min of the study.
The protocol followed during the insulin clamp study was similar to
that previously described (22, 25-27). Briefly, a primed-continuous infusion of regular insulin (3 milliunits/kg·min) was administered, and a variable infusion of a 25% glucose solution was started at time
0 and periodically adjusted to clamp the plasma glucose concentration
at 7-8 mM. In order to control for possible effects of
leptin on the endocrine pancreas (20), somatostatin (1.5 µg/kg·min)
was also infused to inhibit endogenous insulin secretion in both
groups. Plasma samples for determination of [3H]glucose
and [3H]water specific activities were obtained at 10-min
intervals during the basal and clamp periods. Steady state conditions
for the plasma glucose concentration and specific activity were
achieved within 90 min in both the basal and clamp periods of the
studies. Plasma samples for determination of plasma insulin and FFA
concentrations were obtained at 30-min intervals during the study. The
total volume of blood withdrawn was ~3.0 ml/study; to prevent volume depletion and anemia, a solution (1:1 v/v) of ~4.0 ml of fresh blood
(obtained by heart puncture from littermates of the test animals) and
heparinized saline (10 units/ml) was infused at a rate of 20 µl/min.
All determinations were also performed on portal vein blood obtained at
the end of the experiment.
At the end of the in vivo studies, rats were anesthetized
(pentobarbital 60 mg/kg body weight, intravenously), the abdomen was
quickly opened, portal vein blood was obtained, and liver was
freeze-clamped in situ with aluminum tongs pre-cooled in
liquid nitrogen. The time from the injection of the anesthetic until freeze-clamping of the tissues was less than 45 s. All tissue samples were stored at Reverse Transcription and Amplification of Complementary
DNA--
Hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase (Glc-6-Pase) and
phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) mRNA abundance were
assessed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Total RNA isolation was performed
using TRIzol reagent. Briefly, 40 mg of liver tissues were homogenized
in 1 ml of TRIzol reagents. Chloroform was added at 1:5 of the initial
volume of TRIzol. Sample was incubated at room temperature for 15 min
and then centrifugated at 12,000 × g for 15 min at
4 °C. After centrifugation RNA was localized in the aqueous phase.
Each aqueous phase was transferred to a new tube, mixed with 0.5 ml of
cold isopropyl alcohol, placed at 4 °C for 20 min, and then
centrifuged at 12,000 × g for 10 min at 4 °C. The
RNA pellet was washed with 75% ethanol, dried by air, and dissolved in
0.01% diethyl pyrocarbonate water. The purify and amounts of the RNA
obtained were checked by measuring optical density at 260 and 280 nm.
cDNA synthesis: total RNAs were reverse transcribed using a
commercial kit (Life Technologies, Inc.). Two micrograms of total RNA
was incubated at 65 °C for 5 min with 2 µl of
oligo(dT)12-18 (0.5 µg/µl) and water to a final volume
of 10 µl and subsequently kept on ice. Eight microliters of 5 × synthesis buffer (250 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.3, 375 mM KCl, 15 mM MgCl2), 4.0 µl of
10 mM dNTP mixture, 4.0 µl of 0.1 M
dithiothreitol, 0.5 µl (40 units/µl) of recombinant ribonuclease inhibitor, 2 µl of Moloney murine leukemia virus reverse
transcriptase, and 11.5 µl of 0.01% diethyl pyrocarbonate water were
added to each tube. The reaction was incubated at 37 °C for 1 h
and terminated at 70 °C for 10 min. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
amplifications: PCR amplification was carried out in a final volume of
50 µl containing 5 µl of 10 × PCR reaction buffer (10 mM Tris-HCl, 1.5 mM MgCl2, 50 mM KCl, pH 8.3), 1 µl of 10 mM dNTPs mixture,
1 µl of 15 µM each primer (the sequences for PEPCK,
sense: 5'-TGGTCTGGACTTCTCTGCCAAG-3', and antisense:
5'-ACCGTCTTGCTTTCGATCCTGG-3'; for Glc-6-Pase, sense: 5'-AGGTGAGCCGCAAGGTAGATCC-3', and antisense:
5'-TGTCTTGGTGTCTGTGATCGCTG-3'), 1.5 unit of TaqDNA polymerase and 1 µl of RT product. Amplification reaction: initial denaturation at
94 °C for 5 min followed by 30 cycles at 94 °C for 1 min,
60 °C for 1 min, and 72 °C for 1 min 30 s, and then a final
incubation at 72 °C for 10 min. In addition, the GAPDH gene was used
as an external control for identification of the amount of mRNA.
Quantitation of RT-PCR products: following amplification, a 10-µl
aliquot of PCR product was electrophoresed through a 2.0% agarose gel
containing 0.5 µg/µl ethidium bromide in TBE buffer. DNA was
visualized on a UV transilluminator. After photographing, the picture
was scanned with Scan Jet 4C and quantitated with Bioimaging analyzer.
Analytical Procedures--
Plasma glucose was measured by the
glucose oxidase method (Glucose Analyzer II, Beckman Instruments, Inc.,
Palo Alto, CA). Plasma insulin, glucagon, and leptin (rat Leptin RIA
kit, Linco Research Inc., St. Charles, MO) concentrations were measured
by radioimmunoassay. The plasma concentration of free fatty acids was
determined by an enzymatic method with an automated kit according to
the manufacturer's specifications (Waco Pure Chemical Industries, Osaka, Japan). Plasma [3H]glucose radioactivity was
measured in duplicates in the supernatants of Ba(OH)2 and
ZnSO4 precipitates (Somogyi procedure) of plasma samples
(20 µl) after evaporation to dryness to eliminate tritiated water.
The rates of glycolysis were estimated as described previously (26).
Briefly, plasma-tritiated water specific activity was determined by
liquid scintillation counting of the protein-free supernatant (Somogyi
filtrate) before and after evaporation to dryness. Because tritium on
the C-3 position of glucose is lost to water during glycolysis, it can
be assumed that plasma tritium is present either in tritiated water or
[3-3H]glucose. Uridine diphosphoglucose (UDP-Glc) and
phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) concentrations and specific activities in the
liver were obtained through two sequential chromatographic separations,
as previously reported (27-30).
Calculations--
Under steady-state conditions for plasma
glucose concentrations, the rate of glucose disappearance
(Rd) equals the rate of glucose appearance
(Ra). The latter was calculated as the ratio of the
rate of infusion of [3-3H]glucose (dpm/min) and the
steady-state plasma [3H]glucose specific activity
(dpm/mg). When exogenous glucose was given, the rate of
endogenous glucose production was calculated as the
difference between Ra and the infusion rate of glucose. The rates of glycolysis were estimated as described previously (26). Briefly, plasma-tritiated water specific activity was determined
by liquid scintillation counting of the protein-free supernatant
(Somogyi filtrate) before and after evaporation to dryness. Because
tritium on the C-3 position of glucose is lost to water during
glycolysis, it can be assumed that plama tritium is present either in
tritiated water or [3-3H]glucose. Although tritium may
also be released during fructose-6-phosphate cycling and/or pentose
phosphate cycling, these pathways account for only a small percentage
of glucose turnover. Glycogen synthesis was estimated by subtracting
the glycolytic rate from the Rd. The percent of the
hepatic glucose-6-phosphate pool directly derived from plasma glucose
(direct pathway) was calculated as the ratio of
[3H]UDP-Glc and plasma [3H]glucose specific
activities. The percent of the hepatic glucose 6-phosphate pool derived
from PEP-gluconeogenesis (indirect pathway) was calculated as the ratio
of the specific activities of [14C]UDP-Glc and 2 × [14C]PEP following in vivo labeling with
[U-14C]lactate (27, 28). Comparisons between groups were
made by analysis of variance and all values are presented as the
mean ± S.E.
General Characteristics of the Experimental Animals Receiving the
ICV Infusions (Table I)--
To examine
the effect of the acute ICV administration of leptin on peripheral and
hepatic insulin action, 14 rats received a primed-constant infusion of
recombinant mouse leptin (total of 30 ng or 1.5 µg in 6 h) and
were compared with 9 control rats receiving vehicle infusion. Only rats
displaying a complete recovery from the surgery were studied. There
were no differences in the mean body weights and average food intake
among the three groups of rats. Similarly, following ~6 h fast
(postabsorptive state), the plasma insulin, glucose, and FFA
concentrations and the rate of endogenous glucose production were
similar in the rats assigned to the three experimental groups.
Euglycemic Hyperinsulinemic Clamp Studies (Table
II)--
In order to investigate whether
ICV leptin modulated the metabolic effects of insulin in
vivo, a physiologic increase in the plasma insulin concentrations
was generated during the last 120 min of the 6-h ICV infusions and the
plasma glucose concentrations were maintained at ~8 mM by
a variable glucose infusion (Table II). The plasma FFA concentration
and the rates of endogenous glucose production were similarly
suppressed during the hyperinsulinemic clamp in the three groups (Table
II). The rates of glucose infusion (GIR) required to maintain the
plasma glucose concentration at the target level during the
hyperinsulinemic clamp studies were also similar in the rats receiving
vehicle and leptin (Table II).
Effect of ICV Leptin on Insulin-mediated Glucose Disposal,
Glycolysis, and Glycogen Synthesis (Fig.
1)--
The effect of a similar increase
in the circulating insulin concentrations on the rates of tissue
glucose uptake (Rd), glycolysis, and glycogen
synthesis are displayed in Fig. 1. All measurements were performed
during the final 30 min of the clamp study, a time when steady-state
conditions were achieved for plasma glucose and insulin concentrations,
glucose specific activity, and rates of glucose infusion. The rates of
whole body glucose disappearance (21.7 ± 0.6, 20.1 ± 0.6, and 23.1 ± 0.7 mg/kg·min in rats receiving ICV vehicle, 30 ng
of leptin, and 1.5 µg of leptin, respectively; Fig. 1A)
were similar in the three groups. Thus, ICV leptin did not modify the
effect of physiologic increments in the plasma insulin concentration on
whole body glucose disposal. We next examined whether ICV leptin exerts
any effect on the partitioning of glucose disposal into glycogen
synthesis and glycolysis. As shown in Fig. 1B the rates of
glycogen synthesis and glycolysis during the hyperinsulinemic clamp
studies were also similar in the two groups receiving ICV leptin
compared with the control group.
Effect of ICV Leptin on the Hepatic Gene Expression of Glc-6-Pase
and PEPCK (Fig. 2)--
The relative
abundance of Glc-6-Pase and PEPCK mRNA in the liver was determined
by semi-quantitative RT-PCR and compared with the expression of a
reference gene, GAPDH. The calibration curve used for quantification in
the RT-PCR assays for Glc-6-Pase, PEPCK, and GAPDH mRNA were
rectilinear with a slope not significantly different from 1 (data not
shown). Multiple densitometric scanning of PCR products (example is
shown in Fig. 2B) shows that the rats receiving ICV leptin
for 6 h manifested a 2-3-fold increase in PEPCK mRNA
concentrations compared with vehicle-infused rats. Thus, ICV leptin
appeared to antagonize the inhibitory effect of physiological
hyperinsulinemia on PEPCK gene expression in vivo. At the
highest dose (1.5 µg) ICV leptin also increased the hepatic abundance
of Glc-6-Pase mRNA. Thus, ICV leptin even at extremely low rates of
infusion (30 ng) was able to reproduce the effects of the systemic
administration of a much larger leptin dose (~500 µg) on PEPCK gene
expression (22). We next examined whether this molecular effect of ICV
leptin also lead to a redistribution of hepatic glucose fluxes between
gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis.
Effect of ICV Leptin on Hepatic Glucose Fluxes (Table
III and Fig.
3)--
A marked increase in the
contribution of gluconeogenesis to GP was demonstrated in rats
receiving ICV leptin with PEP-gluconeogenesis almost entirely
accounting for GP. In a net sense, the hepatic glucose 6-phosphate pool
receives three major inputs: 1) plasma glucose directly transported and
phosphorylated to form glucose 6-phosphate (direct pathway); 2)
glucosyl units derived from glycogen; and 3) glucosyl units neo-formed
from 3-carbon precursors (indirect or gluconeogenic pathway). The
relative contribution of plasma glucose and gluconeogenesis to the
hepatic glucose 6-phosphate pool is estimated here by tracer
methodology while the contribution of glycogenolysis is calculated as
the difference between GP and gluconeogenesis. We examined whether ICV
leptin modified the relative contributions of plasma glucose,
gluconeogenesis, and glycogenolysis to the hepatic glucose 6-phosphate
pool. Table III displays the [3H]UDP-glucose and the
[3H]glucose specific activities which are used to
calculate the contribution of plasma glucose (Direct in Table III) to
the hepatic glucose 6-phosphate pool. The ratio of the specific
activities of 3H-labeled hepatic UDP-glucose and portal
vein plasma glucose provided an estimate of the contribution of the
direct pathway. As shown in Table III, the contributions of
plasma-derived glucose to the hepatic UDP hexose pool measured at the
end of the clamp studies were similar in the three groups. Table III
also displays the [14C]UDP-glucose and the
[14C]PEP specific activities which are used to calculate
the contribution of PEP-gluconeogenesis (indirect in Table III) to the
hepatic glucose 6-phosphate pool. PEP-gluconeogenesis accounted for
36% of the hepatic UDP-glucose pool in the vehicle-infused group. This
contribution was markedly increased to ~55% in rats receiving ICV
leptin. These data allowed us to estimate the in vivo fluxes
through gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis and their contribution to GP
in rats receiving ICV vehicle or leptin. Fig. 3 depicts the dramatic
effects of ICV leptin on the intrahepatic partitioning of glucose
fluxes. Gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis similarly contributed to GP (~50% of GP or ~2.2 mg/kg·min) in the control group (Leptin
0 in Fig. 3, A and B). However,
following ICV leptin administration gluconeogenesis markedly increased
and accounted for ~80% of GP, while glycogenolysis was markedly
suppressed.
These effects of ICV leptin on hepatic PEPCK gene expression and
hepatic glucose fluxes closely resemble those previously demonstrated
with high rates of systemic leptin infusion (22). This may indicate
that centrally administered leptin activates a neuronal pathway which
in turn mediates its actions on the liver. We next wished to explore
the hypothesis that increased adrenergic outflow may directly or
indirectly mediate the effects of leptin on hepatic glucose fluxes.
General Characteristics of the Experimental Animals Receiving
Systemic Infusions (Table IV)--
To
examine the effects of a highly selective
Euglycemic Hyperinsulinemic Clamp Studies (Table
V)--
Hyperinsulinemic (3 milliunits/kg·min) clamp studies were performed during the last
2 h of the vehicle, leptin, or CL 316,243 infusions and the plasma
glucose concentrations were maintained at ~7.4 mM by a
variable glucose infusion (Table V). The plasma FFA concentration and
the rates of endogenous glucose production were similarly suppressed
during the hyperinsulinemic clamp in the three groups (Table V). The
rates of GIR required to maintain the plasma glucose concentration at
the target level during the hyperinsulinemic clamp studies were also
similar in the rats receiving vehicle, leptin, and CL 316,243 (Table
V). The rates of whole body glucose disappearance (17.1 ± 1.5, 15.0 ± 0.4, and 15.6 ± 0.6 mg/kg·min), glycogen synthesis
(4.9 ± 1.0, 4.1 ± 1.2, and 4.3 ± 1.0 mg/kg·min) and
glycolysis (12.1 ± 1.4, 11.0 ± 1.3, and 11.4 ± 1.4 mg/kg·min in rats receiving vehicle, leptin, and CL 316,243, respectively) during the hyperinsulinemic clamp studies were similar in
the three groups.
Hepatic Gene Expression of Glc-6-Pase and PEPCK (Figs.
4 and
5)--
Multiple densitometric scanning
of PCR products shows that rats receiving the Hepatic Glucose Fluxes (Table VI and
Fig. 6)--
Fig. 6 depicts the effects
of systemic leptin or This study demonstrates that an acute ICV infusion of recombinant
leptin antagonizes the action of insulin on the gene expression of
PEPCK in the liver and results in marked changes in the intrahepatic partitioning of glucose fluxes with increased gluconeogenesis and
decreased glycogenolysis (Fig. 7). It is
likely that these metabolic effects of leptin participate to the
regulation of hepatic glucose metabolism under physiologic conditions.
In fact, the total amount of leptin required to provoke these metabolic
effects is well within the range of ICV leptin required for anorectic actions in rats (8, 15). These data also indicate that the hepatic
effects of circulating leptin are largely mediated via ob
receptors within the central nervous system. In fact, in the present
study 30 ng of ICV leptin entirely reproduced the effects of 50 µg of
leptin infused systemically on both PEPCK gene expression and rate of
gluconeogenesis.
Leptin plays an important role in the regulation of energy stores and
in the choice of fuels to be utilized under various nutritional
conditions (14, 21, 23). The latter metabolic effects of leptin are
likely to neutralize or diminish the compensatory mechanisms which
normally favor regaining normal body weight after fasting or food
restriction (15, 31, 32). We have proposed that since the net flux
through glycolysis/gluconeogenesis determines the hepatic concentration
of malonyl-CoA (22, 33-35), the effects of leptin on PEPCK and
gluconeogenesis are likely to limit the hepatic formation of
triglycerides by favoring FFA entry in the mitochondria and their
The effects of leptin on the hepatic gene expression of PEPCK and
Glc-6-Pase occurred in the presence of fixed and moderate hyperinsulinemia. Thus, it may be argued that leptin antagonized the
suppressive action of insulin on these promoters perhaps by interfering
with hepatic insulin signaling. Alternatively, leptin may antagonize
the effects of insulin on PEPCK and Glc-6-Pase indirectly via increased
sympathetic tone and cAMP levels. Since leptin has been shown to exert
similar actions in a liver cell line (19), the existence of redundant
central and local actions of leptin on the liver cannot be ruled out.
The effects of an acute administration of leptin on food intake can be
reproduced by the administration of a In conclusion, we have provided evidence for potent effects of
intracerebroventricular leptin administration on hepatic PEPCK gene
expression and gluconeogenesis. This suggests the operation of an
efferent pathway relating areas of the hypothalamus involved in the
regulation of satiety with hepatic glucose and lipid metabolism. Elucidation of the mechanism(s) by which activation of the leptin and
We thank Drs. Michael McCaleb and Nancy Levin
(Amgen, Inc., Thousand Oak, CA) for providing recombinant
mouse leptin and helpful discussions and Rong Liu and Meizhu Hu for
excellent technical assistance.
*
This work was supported by the American Diabetes
Association, National Institutes of Health Grants R01-DK45024 and
R01-DK48321, and by Core Laboratories of the Albert Einstein College of
Medicine Diabetes Research and Training Center Grant DK20541.The costs of publication of this
article were defrayed in part by the
payment of page charges. The article
must therefore be hereby marked
"advertisement" in
accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section
1734 solely to indicate this fact.
The abbreviations used are:
PEPCK, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase; ICV, intracerebroventricular; FFA, free fatty acid; RT-PCR, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain
reaction; GAPDH, glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase; GIR, glucose
infusion rate; GP, glucose production.
Intracerebroventricular Leptin Regulates Hepatic but Not
Peripheral Glucose Fluxes*
![]()
ABSTRACT
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Procedures
Results
Discussion
References
![]()
INTRODUCTION
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Procedures
Results
Discussion
References
3-adrenergic receptor agonist (CL 316,243) exerts potent
"leptin-like" effects in the hypothalamic regulation of food intake
(5), its metabolic effects were also examined.
![]()
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Procedures
Results
Discussion
References
9.0 mm, medial-lateral; 0.0 directly on the
midsagittal suture. A 28-gauge dummy cannula was inserted to prevent
clogging of the guide cannula. The implant is secured to the skull with
Caulk Grip dental cement, and the skin is closed over the implant using wound clips. These animals were used 5-7 days later for the ICV studies. Another group of rats (n = 11; at ~14 weeks
of age) were anesthetized with an intraperitoneal injection of
pentobarbital (50 mg/kg body weight) and indwelling catheters were only
inserted in the right internal jugular vein and in the left carotid
artery. The venous catheter was extended to the level of the right
atrium and the arterial catheter was advanced to the level of the
aortic arch. All studies were performed in awake, unstressed,
chronically catheterized rats (25, 26). Histological verification of
the ICV cannula was performed at the end of each experiment utilizing infusion cannulae. Animals were anesthetized and decapitated and the
brains were removed, quick-frozen at
35 °C for 2 min in
isopentane, and stored in tissue matrix at
76 °C. Frozen brains
were mounted and placed in a cryostat, and sectioned in the coronal
plane. Every fifth 40-µm frontal section was examined and the
neuroanatomical location of the cannulae tips was verified.
3-adrenoreceptor
agonist CL 316,243 (gift of Dr. K. Steiner, Wyeth-Ayrest Research,
Princeton, NJ) at a rate of 125 µg/kg·h for 6 h
(
3). All rats received the euglycemic clamp protocol
described below during the last 2 h of the 6-h vehicle, leptin, or
CL 316,243 infusions.
80 °C for subsequent analysis. The study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and
Use Committee of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
![]()
RESULTS
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Procedures
Results
Discussion
References
Baseline characteristics of rats receiving intracerebroventricular
infusions of vehicle (0) or leptin (0.03, 1.5 µg)
Steady-state plasma glucose, insulin, leptin, and FFA concentrations
and average rates of GIR and endogenous GP during the hypeinsulinemic
clamp studies in rats receiving intracerebroventricular infusions of
vehicle (0) or leptin (0.03, 1.5 µg)

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Fig. 1.
Effect of intracerebroventricular leptin on
the rates of glucose disappearance (A) and on the rates of
glycolysis and glycogen synthesis (B) during the
hyperinsulinemic clamp studies. A, glucose rate of
disappearance (Rd) was measured by tracer dilution
technique during the basal period (Basal,
) and during
the euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp studies (Insulin,
)
in rats receiving ICV infusions of vehicle (0) or leptin
(0.03, 1.5 µg). B, rates of glycogen synthesis
(
) and glycolysis (
) during the euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp
in rats receiving intracerebroventricular infusions of vehicle (0) or
leptin (0.03, 1.5 µg). Neither dose of intracerebroventricular leptin
altered the actions of insulin on whole body glucose uptake
(Rd), glycogen synthesis, and glycolysis.

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Fig. 2.
Effect of intracerebroventricular leptin on
the relative expression of PEPCK, glucose-6-phosphatase
(Glc-6-Pase), and GAPDH mRNA in liver. The
upper panel displays the mean levels of PEPCK, Glc-6-Pase,
and GAPDH (G3PDH) mRNA (as a percent of control levels)
in rats receiving intracerebroventricular infusions of vehicle (0) or
leptin (0.03, 1.5 µg). Semiquantitative RT-PCR was performed in liver
freeze-clamped in situ at the completion of all in
vivo studies. The lower panel depicts two
representative experiments from each of the three experimental groups.
ICV leptin resulted in a significant increase in PEPCK and Glc-6-Pase
mRNA.
Specific activities of hepatic substrates used to calculate the
"direct pathway" and the "indirect pathway" at the end of the
[3-3H]glucose-[U-14C]lactate infusions in rats
receiving intracerebroventricular infusions of vehicle (0) or leptin
(0.03, 1.5 µg)

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Fig. 3.
Effect of intracerebroventricular
leptin on the relative contribution of gluconeogenesis and
glycogenolysis to GP during the hyperinsulinemic clamp studies.
A, percent contribution of gluconeogenesis and
glycogenolysis to GP in rats receiving ICV infusions of vehicle (0) or
leptin (0.03, 1.5 µg). B, rates of gluconeogenesis (
)
and glycogenolysis (
) in rats receiving intracerebroventricular
infusions of vehicle (0) or leptin (0.03, 1.5 µg) are displayed in
this panel. Intracerebroventricular infusions of leptin resulted in a
marked shift in the pathways of formation of hepatic glucose
6-phosphate with ~80% of GP accounted for by PEP-gluconeogenesis in
rats receiving either dose of leptin.
3-adrenoreceptor agonist and of a physiological increase
in plasma leptin levels on peripheral and hepatic insulin action, rats
received either a primed-constant infusion of recombinant mouse leptin
(0.5 µg/kg·min for 6 h) or CL 316,243 (125 µg/kg·h for
6 h) and were compared with 5 control rats receiving systemic
vehicle infusions. There were no differences in the mean body weights
and average food intake among the three groups of rats. Similarly,
following ~6 h fast (postabsorptive state), the plasma insulin,
glucose, and FFA concentrations and the rate of endogenous glucose
production were similar in the rats assigned to the three experimental
groups.
Baseline characteristics of rats receiving systemic infusions of
vehicle (CON), leptin (LEP), or
3-agonist (
3)
Steady-state plasma glucose, insulin, and FFA concentrations and
average rates of GIR and endogenous GP during the hyperinsulinemic
clamp studies in rats receiving systemic infusions of vehicle (CON),
leptin (LEP), or
3-agonist (
3)
3-agonist
(examples are shown in Fig. 4B) or systemic leptin (examples
are shown in Fig. 5) for 6 h manifested a 2-3-fold increase in
PEPCK mRNA levels compared with vehicle-infused rats. CL 316,243 also increased the hepatic abundance of Glc-6-Pase mRNA. Thus, the
infusion of a highly selective
3-adrenoreceptor agonist
reproduces the effects of either systemic or intracerebroventricular administration of leptin on PEPCK gene expression.

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Fig. 4.
Effect of the systemic infusion of a
3-adrenoreceptor agonist on the relative expression of
PEPCK, Glc-6-Pase, and GAPDH (G3PDH) mRNA in
liver. The upper panel displays the mean levels of
PEPCK, Glc-6-Pase, and GAPDH mRNA (as a percent of control levels)
in rats receiving an infusion of either vehicle (0) or CL 316,243 (
3). Semiquantitative RT-PCR was performed in
liver freeze-clamped in situ at the completion of all
in vivo studies. The lower panel depicts three
representative experiments from each of the two experimental groups. CL
316,243 resulted in a significant increase in PEPCK and Glc-6-Pase
mRNA in liver.

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Fig. 5.
Effect of physiologic hyperleptinemia on the
relative expression of PEPCK and glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase
(G3PDH) mRNA in liver. Semiquantitative RT-PCR was
performed in liver freeze-clamped in situ at the completion
of all in vivo studies. The figure depicts two
representative experiments for each experimental group. Systemic
(intravenous) administration of leptin (0.5 µg/kg/min) resulted in a
significant increase (to 172 ± 19% of vehicle-infused controls)
in hepatic PEPCK mRNA.
3-adrenoreceptor agonist on the
intrahepatic partitioning of glucose fluxes. A marked increase in the
contribution of gluconeogenesis to GP was demonstrated in rats
receiving either leptin or CL 314,243 with PEP-gluconeogenesis almost
entirely accounting for GP. Table VI displays the
[3H]UDP-glucose and the [3H]glucose
specific activities which are used to calculate the contribution of
plasma glucose (Direct in Table VI) to the hepatic glucose
6-phosphate pool. The ratio of the specific activities of
3H-labeled hepatic UDP-glucose and portal vein plasma
glucose provided an estimate of the contribution of the direct pathway.
The contribution of the direct pathway to the hepatic UDP hexose pool
measured at the end of the clamp studies were similar in the three
groups. Table VI also displays the [14C]UDP-glucose and
the [14C]PEP specific activities which are used to
calculate the contribution of PEP-gluconeogenesis (Indirect
in Table VI) to the hepatic glucose 6-phosphate pool. The indirect
pathway accounted for 37% of the hepatic UDP-glucose pool in the
vehicle-infused group. This contribution was markedly increased to 53%
in rats receiving systemic leptin and to 60% in rats receiving the
3-adrenoreceptor agonist. These data allowed us to
estimate the in vivo fluxes through gluconeogenesis and
glycogenolysis and their contribution to GP. Following leptin or
3-adrenoreceptor agonist administration, gluconeogenesis
markedly increased and accounted for ~80% of GP, while
glycogenolysis was markedly suppressed.
Specific activities of hepatic substrates used to calculate the direct
pathway and the "indirect pathway" at the end of the
[3-3H]glucose[U-14C]lactate infusions in rats
receiving systemic infusions of vehicle (CON), leptin (LEP), or
3-agonist (
3)

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Fig. 6.
Effects of physiologic hyperleptinemia and of
the systemic infusion of a
3-adrenoreceptor
on the relative contribution of gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis to
GP during hyperinsulinemic clamp studies. A, percent
contribution of gluconeogenesis (
) and glycogenolysis (
) to GP in
rats receiving systemic infusions of vehicle (CON), leptin
(LEP), or CL 316,243 (
3).
B, rates of gluconeogenesis and in rats receiving systemic
infusions of vehicle, leptin, or CL 316,243 are displayed in
this panel. Systemic infusions of either leptin (0.5 µg/kg/min) or
the
3-adrenoreceptor agonist CL
316,243 resulted in a marked shift in the pathways of formation of
hepatic glucose 6-phosphate with ~80% of GP accounted for by
PEP-gluconeogenesis in the treated rats versus 38% in the
vehicle control.
![]()
DISCUSSION
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Procedures
Results
Discussion
References

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Fig. 7.
Schematic representation of the major changes
in hepatic glucose fluxes induced by ICV leptin. A,
gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis equally contributed to GP in rats
receiving ICV infusion of vehicle. B and C, ICV
infusions of leptin (0.03, 1.5 µg) resulted in a marked shift in the
pathways of formation of hepatic glucose 6-phosphate with a marked
increase in the contribution of PEP-gluconeogenesis (~80%) to GP
paralleled by a marked decrease in glycogenolysis.
-oxidation (22, 23, 33-36). These biochemical actions occur in
response to minimal amounts of ICV leptin and are therefore likely to
participate in its "lipostatic" action. While the liver is the
principal site for de novo lipogenesis in humans (33, 36),
leptin has also been shown to promote lipid oxidation and decrease
tissue triglycerides at other tissue sites (14, 17, 18, 21, 23, 37).
These effects of leptin on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, while are
likely to be mediated by diverse molecular and biochemical events in
various tissues, may all contribute to the dramatic and beneficial
effects of long-term leptin administration on hepatic and peripheral
insulin action (6, 9, 24, 38). However, it should be pointed out that in the present study we did not demonstrate a significant increase in
either basal or insulin-stimulated rates of glucose disposal following
acute ICV leptin administration. Conversely, a recent report in mice
demonstrated parallel increases in both glucose production and disposal
5 h after ICV leptin administration (39). Since plasma glucose and
plasma insulin did not change significantly, the authors suggested that
leptin activated efferent signals from the central nervous system to
the liver and peripheral tissues. The apparent inconsistency between
these results and ours may be explained on the basis of differences
between species and experimental protocols, e.g. pancreatic
and insulin clamp was performed in this study. However, it is also
possible that a stimulatory effect of ICV leptin on peripheral glucose
uptake requires high peak levels of leptin in a cerebral ventricle. In
fact, in the present study, in an attempt to approximate physiological
conditions, we used a constant infusion of leptin rather than a bolus
injection and our overall doses were quite low. Regardless of effects
(or lack thereof) on peripheral glucose uptake, it is clear that this protocol was sufficient to unveil potent effects of ICV leptin on
hepatic PEPCK gene expression and glucose fluxes. It is well established that PEPCK activity is primarily regulated at the level of
gene transcription (40, 41). The correspondence here between in
vivo fluxes through PEPCK (PEP-gluconeogenesis) and its mRNA
levels is consistent with this notion.
3-adrenoreceptor agonist (5, 42). Most important, this occurred despite a marked
decrease in circulating leptin levels (5), suggesting that the
stimulation of
3-adrenoreceptors by this highly
selective agonist (CL 314, 243) may affect the hypothalamic regulation
of satiety downstream of early leptin-mediated events. Here, we show that the systemic infusion of the same
3-adrenoreceptor
agonist also replicates the effects of leptin on PEPCK gene expression and hepatic glucose fluxes. While the mechanism(s) by which acute stimulation of
3-adrenoreceptors modulates hypothalamic
activity remains to be delineated, our results taken together with
those of Mantzoros et al. (5) suggest that an hypothalamic
pathway which is regulated by leptin and
3-adrenergic
receptors may play a role in both regulation of appetite and hepatic
metabolism. Alternatively, ICV leptin and systemic CL 314,243 infusions
may regulate the production of an unknown protein or substrate in adipose tissue which in turn mediates their hepatic effects. Further studies will be required to explore these possibilities.
3-adrenoreceptor systems regulate hepatic metabolic
events may have major implications for our understanding of the role of
the central nervous system in metabolic homeostasis.
![]()
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
![]()
FOOTNOTES
To whom correspondence should be addressed: Albert Einstein
College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Ave., Bronx, NY 10461. Tel.: 718-430-4118/4215; Fax: 718-430-8557; E-mail:
rossetti{at}aecom.yu.edu.
![]()
REFERENCES
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Procedures
Results
Discussion
References
Copyright © 1998 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.
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