Tamoxifen affects glucose and lipid metabolism parameters, causes browning of subcutaneous adipose tissue and transient body composition changes in C57BL/6NTac mice

• Published in: Biochemical and biophysical research communications 2015-08, Vol.464 (3), p.724-729
• Main Authors: Hesselbarth, Nico, Pettinelli, Chiara, Gericke, Martin, Berger, Claudia, Kunath, Anne, Stumvoll, Michael, Blüher, Matthias, Klöting, Nora
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES; Adipocytes - cytology; Adipocytes - drug effects; Adipocytes - metabolism; ADIPOSE TISSUE; Adipose Tissue, Brown - cytology; Adipose Tissue, Brown - drug effects; Adipose Tissue, Brown - metabolism; Animals; BIOLOGY; BODY COMPOSITION; Body Composition - drug effects; Browning; C57BL/6; Cell Proliferation - drug effects; Cell Size - drug effects; CONTROL; ESTROGENS; Fatty Acids, Nonesterified - blood; GLUCOSE; Glucose - metabolism; Glycated Hemoglobin A - metabolism; HOMEOSTASIS; HYPOTHESIS; IN VIVO; Ion Channels - genetics; Ion Channels - metabolism; Ki-67 Antigen - genetics; Lipid Metabolism - drug effects; Male; MESSENGER-RNA; METABOLISM; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mitochondrial Proteins - genetics; Mitochondrial Proteins - metabolism; RECEPTORS; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators - pharmacology; SIGNALS; Subcutaneous Fat - cytology; Subcutaneous Fat - drug effects; Subcutaneous Fat - metabolism; TAMOXIFEN; Tamoxifen - pharmacology; TRANSGENIC MICE; TRIGLYCERIDES; Triglycerides - blood; UCP-1; Uncoupling Protein 1; VEHICLES
• ISSN: 0006-291X; 1090-2104
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2015.07.015

Tamoxifen is a selective estrogen receptor (ER) modulator which is widely used to generate inducible conditional transgenic mouse models. Activation of ER signaling plays an important role in the regulation of adipose tissue (AT) metabolism. We therefore tested the hypothesis that tamoxifen administration causes changes in AT biology in vivo. 12 weeks old male C57BL/6NTac mice were treated with either tamoxifen (n = 18) or vehicle (n = 18) for 5 consecutive days. Tamoxifen treatment effects on body composition, energy homeostasis, parameters of AT biology, glucose and lipid metabolism were investigated up to an age of 18 weeks. We found that tamoxifen treatment causes: I) significantly increased HbA1c, triglyceride and free fatty acid serum concentrations (p