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Brown adipose tissue activation in a rat model of Parkinson's disease

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AJP Endocrinology and Metabolism

Published online on

Abstract

Loss of body weight and fat mass is one of the non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). Weight loss is primarily due to reduced energy intake and increased energy expenditure. While inadequate energy intake in PD patients is mainly caused by appetite loss and impaired gastrointestinal absorption, the underlying mechanisms for increased energy expenditure remain largely unknown. Brown adipose tissue (BAT), a key thermogenic tissue in humans and other mammals, plays an important role in thermoregulation and energy metabolism; however, it has not been tested if BAT is involved in the negative energy balance in PD. Here, using the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rat model of PD, we found that the activity of sympathetic nerve (SN), the expression of Ucp1 in BAT, and thermogenesis were increased in PD rats. BAT sympathetic denervation blocked sympathetic activity and decreased UCP1 expression in BAT, and attenuated the loss of body weight in PD rats. Interestingly, sympathetic denervation of BAT was associated with decreased sympathetic tone and lipolysis in retroperitoneal and epididymal white adipose tissue. Our data suggested that BAT-mediated thermogenesis may contribute to weight loss in PD.