Cold exposure promotes obesity and impairs glucose homeostasis in mice subjected to a high‑fat diet

Abstract

Cold exposure is considered to be a form of stress and has various adverse effects on the body. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of chronic daily cold exposure on food intake, body weight, serum glucose levels and the central energy balance regulatory pathway in mice fed with a high-fat diet (HFD). C57BL/6 mice were divided into two groups, which were fed with a standard chow or with a HFD. Half of the mice in each group were exposed to ice-cold water for 1 h/day for 7 weeks, while the controls were exposed to room temperature. Chronic daily cold exposure significantly increased energy intake, body weight and serum glucose levels in HFD-fed mice compared with the control group. In addition, 1 h after the final cold exposure, c-fos immunoreactivity was significantly increased in the central amygdala of HFD-fed mice compared with HFD-fed mice without cold exposure, indicating neuronal activation in this brain region. Notably, 61% of these c-fos neurons co-expressed the neuropeptide Y (NPY), and the orexigenic peptide levels were significantly increased in the central amygdala of cold-exposed mice compared with control mice. Notably, cold exposure significantly decreased the anorexigenic brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) messenger RNA (mRNA) levels in the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus and increased growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) mRNA in the paraventricular nucleus. NPY-ergic neurons in the central amygdala were activated by chronic cold exposure in mice on HFD via neuronal pathways to decrease BDNF and increase GHRH mRNA expression, possibly contributing to the development of obesity and impairment of glucose homeostasis.

Heat-Killed Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LRCC5314 Mitigates the Effects of Stress-Related Type 2 Diabetes in Mice via Gut Microbiome Modulation

“…The incidence of stress-related type 2 diabetes (stress-T2D), which affects the quality of life, has increased annually, and it is expected that approximately a fifth of the global population will experience stress-T2D by 2025 [ 13 , 14 ]. Cold stress is a form of physiological stress elicited by the stress-response center, namely, the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis [ 15 ].…”

Intermittent cold exposure improves glucose homeostasis despite exacerbating diet‐induced obesity in mice housed at thermoneutrality

“…There were no effects of ICE on glucose tolerance in female mice (Fig. 8A-C); however, in contrast to work conducted at subthermoneutral temperatures (Ravussin et al 2014;Yoo et al 2014;Zhu et al 2018), ICE very clearly improved glucose tolerance in male mice (Fig. 8D and E), surprisingly independent of diet (Fig.…”

“…2014; Zhu et al . 2018), ICE very clearly improved glucose tolerance in male mice (Fig. 8 and ), surprisingly independent of diet (Fig.…”

The effect of living environment on developmental disorders in cold regions

“…This may be due to the fact that viruses can up-regulate the levels of pro-inflammatory factors and directly curb the growth and differentiation of embryonic mesenchymal cells [97] . Moreover, when Zhu et al explored the impact of longterm cold exposure on the regulation of central energy balance in mice, they found that long-term cold exposure could damage the glucose homeostasis of body by upregulating the expression of orexigenic peptides in the central amygdala and attenuating the activity of an orexigenic brain-derived neurotropic factor in the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus [98] . Hence, persistent low temperature in cold regions may be a critical catalyst to accelerate the occurrence of DDs induced by viral infection and GBM (Fig.…”