Leptin potentiates thermogenic sympathetic responses to hypothermia: a receptor-mediated effect

Leptin contributes to the regulation of thermogenesis. In rodents, sympathetic nerve activity efferent to interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT-SNA) is involved. On the basis of the hypotheses that 1) leptin acutely potentiates hypothermia-induced increases in IBAT-SNA; 2) this action of leptin is specific to IBAT-SNA, i.e., it does not occur with renal sympathetic nerve activity (R-SNA); and 3) this effect of leptin depends on intact and functional leptin receptors, we measured IBAT-SNA and R-SNA in anesthetized lean and diet-induced obese Sprague-Dawley and in obese Zucker rats, randomly assigned to low-dose leptin or vehicle. Before the start of leptin or vehicle and 5 min, 90 min, and 180 min after, hypothermia (30 degrees C) was induced. Compared with vehicle, leptin did not significantly alter baseline R-SNA or IBAT-SNA. In lean Sprague-Dawley rats, hypothermia-induced increases in IBAT-SNA were significantly augmented by leptin but not by vehicle. In obese Sprague-Dawley rats, leptin did not potentiate hypothermia-induced increases in IBAT-SNA. In Zucker rats, IBAT-SNA did not increase with hypothermia and leptin was not able to induce sympathoactivation with cooling. Changes in R-SNA during hypothermia were not significantly modified by leptin in either group. Thus, low-dose leptin, although not altering baseline SNA, acutely enhances hypothermia-induced sympathetic outflow to IBAT in lean rats. This effect is specific for thermogenic SNA because leptin does not significantly alter the response of R-SNA to hypothermia. The effect depends on intact and functional leptin receptors because it occurs neither in rats with a leptin receptor defect nor in rats with acquired leptin resistance.