title: Oral Metformin Treatment Counteracts Adipoinsular Axis Dysfunction in Hypothalamic Obese Rats.
abstract: Rats neonatally treated with monosodium L-glutamate (MSG) are deeply dysfunctional in adulthood. We explored the effect of an oral low dose of metformin treatment in male MSG rats on adipoinsular axis and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) dysfunctions, in both basal (nonfasting) and endotoxemia conditions. MSG rats, treated or not treated with metformin (30 days prior to experimentation), and control litter-mates (CTR) were studied at 90 days of age. Peripheral concentrations of glucose, lipids, and hormones were determined in basal and post-lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment conditions. Food intake and body weight (BW) were recorded and VAT mass and leptin mRNA levels were evaluated. Data indicated that MSG rats were lighter and displayed hypercorticosteronemia, hypophagia, adipoinsular axis hyperactivity, and enhanced VAT mass associated with an increased leptin gene expression. Interestingly, metformin-treated MSG rats corrected BW catch-up and counteracted VAT (mass and leptin mRNA level) and adipoinsular axis (basal and post-LPS) dysfunctions. Thus metformin treatment in MSG rats is able to correct several VAT and metabolic-endocrine dysfunctions. Our study suggests that a low-dose metformintherapy is effective to correct, at least in part, adipoinsular axis dysfunction in hypertrophic obese phenotypes, such as that of the human Cushing syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Neuroendocrine Unit, IMBICE (CONICET-CICPBA), La Plata Medical School, 1900 La Plata, Argentina.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Castrogiovanni
authors.affiliation: Neuroendocrine Unit, IMBICE (CONICET-CICPBA), La Plata Medical School, 1900 La Plata, Argentina.
authors.forename: Luisina
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5449-2894
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ongaro
authors.affiliation: Neuroendocrine Unit, IMBICE (CONICET-CICPBA), La Plata Medical School, 1900 La Plata, Argentina.
authors.forename: Guillermina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zuburía
authors.affiliation: Neuroendocrine Unit, IMBICE (CONICET-CICPBA), La Plata Medical School, 1900 La Plata, Argentina.
authors.forename: Andrés
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giovambattista
authors.affiliation: CENEXA (UNLP-CONICET La Plata), La Plata Medical School, 1900 La Plata, Argentina.
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6556-6051
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Spinedi