title: Topiramate induces weight loss and improves insulin sensitivity in dietary obese rats: comparison to sibutramine.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Topiramate is newly approved as anticonvulsant that seems to promote body weight loss in humans. The present study was designed to evaluate the weight-controlling properties of topiramate in dietary obese female rats in comparison with sibutramine.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty rats were assigned as normal, high fat diet (HFD), HFD + sibutramine (7.5 mg/kg, p.o.), HFD + topiramate (25 mg/kg, p.o.) and HFD + topiramate (50 mg/kg, p.o.). Body weight was registered, anxiety was tested in Vogel's test and blood pressure (BP) was measured. In addition, liver index, adipose tissue index, fasting blood glucose and serum lipid profile were measured in all groups. Further, serum insulin, leptin and adiponectin were determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Feeding with HFD induced a significant increase in body weight of rats as well as insulin resistance and serum lipids as compared to normal group (p<0.05). These measurements were suppressed by sibutramine treatment. However, a significant elevation in BP and anxiety behavior were detected as compared with HFD group (p<0.05). Topiramate (50 mg/kg, p.o.) group showed weight loss, improved insulin resistance, lessened anxiety behavior without influence on BP.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data ensures the findings that topiramate has a weight controlling properties with no anxiogenic or hypertensive effects. Further investigations are needed to determine the utility of topiramate in the clinical management of obesity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt.
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Abo-Elmatty
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Zaitone
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D003503:Cyclobutanes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D005632:Fructose / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D009765:Obesity / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D000077236:Topiramate; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents; D001786:Blood Glucose; D003503:Cyclobutanes; D007328:Insulin; D020738:Leptin; D008055:Lipids; D000077236:Topiramate; D005632:Fructose; C058254:sibutramine