Endogenous epinephrine protects against obesity induced insulin resistance

• Published in: Autonomic neuroscience 2011-07, Vol.162 (1), p.32-34
• Main Authors: Ziegler, Michael G, Milic, Milos, Sun, Ping, Tang, Chih-Min, Elayan, Hamzeh, Bao, Xuping, Cheung, Wai Wilson, O'Connor, Daniel T
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Advanced Basic Science; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Glucose - metabolism; Body Weight - physiology; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - enzymology; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - genetics; Dietary Fats - pharmacology; Eating; Epinephrine - physiology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Glucose; Glucose Tolerance Test; Insulin - blood; Insulin Resistance - physiology; Male; Medical Education; Medical sciences; Metabolic diseases; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Mouse; Obesity; Obesity - physiopathology; Peripheral nervous system. Autonomic nervous system. Neuromuscular transmission. Ganglionic transmission. Electric organ; Phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase; Phenylethanolamine N-Methyltransferase - genetics; Phenylethanolamine N-Methyltransferase - physiology; PNMT; Sex Characteristics; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Weight Gain - drug effects
• ISSN: 1566-0702; 1872-7484
• DOI: 10.1016/j.autneu.2011.01.009

Abstract Epinephrine (E) is a hormone released from the adrenal medulla in response to low blood sugar and other stresses. E and related β2-adrenergic agonists are used to treat asthma, but a side effect is high blood sugar. C57BL/6 mice prone to overfeeding induced type II diabetes had the PNMT gene knocked out to prevent E synthesis. These E deficient mice were very similar to control animals on a 14% fat diet. On a 40.6% fat diet they gained 20 to 33% more weight than control animals and increased their blood glucose response to a glucose tolerance test because they became resistant to insulin. Although the short term effect of β2-agonists such as E is to raise blood glucose, some long acting β2-agonists improve muscle glucose uptake. Endogenous E protects against overfeeding induced diabetes. Since adrenal E release can be impaired with aging and diabetes, endogenous E may help prevent adult onset diabetes.