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Chronic endothelin-1 infusion causes adipocyte hyperplasia in rats
Chih-Chan Lien1, Jia-Ling Jiang1, Deng-Yuan Jian1,2
1Institute of Physiology, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to investigate the regulatory mechanism of endothelin-1 (ET-1), an endothelium-derived vasoconstrictor, on adipogenesis in vitro and in vivo.
Methods:
3T3-L1 preadipocytes were used to explore the mechanisms mediating ET-1 actions on preadipocyte proliferation and adipocyte differentiation. To investigate the in vivo effect of ET-1, male Sprague-Dawley rats were infused with ET-1 or saline for 4 weeks via intraperitoneally implanted osmotic pumps, and the fat pad weight and adipocyte size of adipose tissues were measured.
Results:
ET-1 stimulated preadipocyte proliferation and increased the cell number at the mitotic clonal expansion stage of adipocyte differentiation via the endothelin A receptor (ETAR) and activation of the protein kinase C (PKC) pathway. ET-1, via ETAR, inhibited adipocyte differentiation partially through an ERK-dependent pathway. Furthermore, no significant difference in the body weight and fat pad weight was observed in either ET-1- or saline-infused rats. Compared with saline-infused rats, the adipocyte cell number was significantly increased but the adipocyte size was significantly decreased in ET-1-infused rats.
Conclusions:
Chronic ET-1 infusion increased the number of small adipocytes without the change of white adipose tissue mass in rats, which were associated with ET-1-stimulated preadipocyte proliferation, but not ET-1-suppressed adipocyte differentiation.
