Metabolism - Clinical and Experimental
Volume 52, Issue 3 , Pages 264-272, March 2003

Chronic effects of dehydroepiandrosterone on rat adipose tissue metabolism☆☆☆

Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, and the Department of Anatomy & Physiology, Laval University; Oncology and Molecular Endocrinology Research Center, Laval University Medical Center; Québec Heart Institute, Laval Hospital, Québec, Canada; and INSERM U 317, Faculty of Medicine, Toulouse, France

Received 4 August 2000; accepted 17 September 2002.

Abstract 

The goal of the present study was to examine cellular mechanisms that regulate adipose cell metabolism in ovariectomized (OVX) and intact rats that were subjected to long-term (27 weeks) treatment with dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Forty-eight 16-month-old female rats were divided into 4 groups of 9 to 11 animals (intact, intact-DHEA, OVX, OVX-DHEA). Adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase (LPL), hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent phosphodiesterase (cAMP-PDE) activities were determined, and α2-, β1/β2-, and β3-adrenoceptors (ARs) were quantified. DHEA did not affect body weight, fat, or muscle mass in intact rats. The similar retroperitoneal fat pad weight of intact-DHEA rats compared to intact animals was in agreement with the lack of difference in the enzyme activities and AR densities. The increased body weight of OVX rat was paralleled by a greater retroperitoneal adipose tissue mass (P < .01), which was in turn associated with a marked rise in LPL activity (P < .005) and a slight decrease in HSL activity (P < .05) compared to intact animals. OVX-DHEA rats, compared to untreated OVX animals, had a smaller retroperitoneal fat depot, which correlated with a decrease in LPL activity (P < .005) and moderate increase in both HSL activity and β3-AR density (P < .05). DHEA-treatment lowered fasting insulin and triglyceride levels in both intact and OVX rats (P < .05). Plasma testosterone, androsterone, androstenedione, and androstenediol levels were also significantly increased in both intact-DHEA and OVX-DHEA rats compared to untreated animals (P < .0001). These findings suggest that the antiobesity action of DHEA may be related in part to changes in lipase activities and in β3-AR density, and that it is dependent on the ovarian status of the animal. Copyright 2003, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.

No full text is available. To read the body of this article, please view the PDF online.

To access this article, please choose from the options below

Login to an existing account or Register a new account.

  • Purchase this article for 31.50 USD (You must login/register to purchase this article)

    Online access for 24 hours. The PDF version can be downloaded as your permanent record.

  • Subscribe to this title

    Get unlimited online access to this article and all other articles in this title 24/7 for one year.

  • Claim access now

    For current subscribers with Society Membership or Account Number.

  • Visit SciVerse ScienceDirect to see if you have access via your institution.
 

☆ Supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and EndoRecherche.

☆☆ Address reprint requests to Pascale Mauriège, PhD, Division of Kinesiology, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, P.E.P.S., Laval University, Ste-Foy, Québec, Canada G1K 7P4.

PII: S0026-0495(02)05259-9

doi:10.1053/meta.2003.50043

Metabolism - Clinical and Experimental
Volume 52, Issue 3 , Pages 264-272, March 2003

Article Tools