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Central nicotine induces browning through hypothalamic κ opioid receptor
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Central nicotine induces browning through hypothalamic κ opioid receptor

Patricia Seoane-Collazo, Laura Liñares-Pose, Eva Rial-Pensado, Amparo Romero-Picó, José María Moreno-Navarrete, Noelia Martínez-Sánchez, Pablo Garrido-Gil, Ramón Iglesias-Rey, Donald A Morgan, Naoki Tomasini, …
Nature communications, Vol.10(1), pp.4037-12
09/06/2019
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12004-z
PMCID: PMC6731305
PMID: 31492869
url
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-12004-zView
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Increased body weight is a major factor that interferes with smoking cessation. Nicotine, the main bioactive compound in tobacco, has been demonstrated to have an impact on energy balance, since it affects both feeding and energy expenditure at the central level. Among the central actions of nicotine on body weight, much attention has been focused on its effect on brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis, though its effect on browning of white adipose tissue (WAT) is unclear. Here, we show that nicotine induces the browning of WAT through a central mechanism and that this effect is dependent on the κ opioid receptor (KOR), specifically in the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA). Consistent with these findings, smokers show higher levels of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) expression in WAT, which correlates with smoking status. These data demonstrate that central nicotine-induced modulation of WAT browning may be a target against human obesity.
Ganglionic Stimulants - administration & dosage Nicotine - administration & dosage Uncoupling Protein 1 - metabolism Humans Middle Aged Receptors, Opioid, kappa - metabolism Adipose Tissue, White - metabolism Body Weight - drug effects Male Rats, Sprague-Dawley Mice, Knockout Nicotine - pharmacology Animals Hypothalamus - metabolism Adult Female Adipose Tissue, Brown - drug effects Adipose Tissue, Brown - metabolism Ganglionic Stimulants - pharmacology Hypothalamus - drug effects Thermogenesis - drug effects Adipose Tissue, White - drug effects Receptors, Opioid, kappa - genetics

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