Oral Presentation Australian & New Zealand Obesity Society Annual Scientific Meeting 2013

CB2 antagonism increases citrate synthase activity in slow oxidative skeletal muscle in a diet induced obese model (#85)

Lannie O'Keefe 1 , Kayte Jenkin 1 , Anna Simcocks 1 , Deanne Hryciw 2 , Michael Mathai 1 3 , Andrew McAinch 1
  1. Victoria University, Werribee, Vic, Australia
  2. Department of Physiology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
  3. The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia

Aim

To determine the effects of pharmacological CB2 modulation on citrate synthase enzyme activity in slow oxidative and fast oxidative skeletal muscle in a diet induced model of obesity.

Methods


Male Sprague Dawley rats were fed a high fat diet (21%) ad libitum for 15 weeks. Obesity was achieved at nine weeks after which three treatment groups (n=9) were injected daily with either CB2 agonist AM1241 (3 mg/kg body weight) or CB2 antagonist AM630 (0.3 mg/kg body weight), or a control group injected with saline. Weight and food consumption were recorded daily, body fat percentage was measured via magnetic resonance imaging at weeks 9 and 14. At 15 weeks the gastrocnemius muscle was removed and separated to slow oxidative or fast oxidative fibre types. Citrate synthase activity was measured as a marker of functioning mitochondrial content.

Results


Compared to control rats in both the CB2 antagonist and CB2 agonist treatment groups there was no significant difference in weight, body fat percentage and food intake. Citrate synthase activity was significantly increased (p=0.05) in the slow oxidative fibre types in the CB2 antagonist group but changes were not seen in fast oxidative skeletal muscle. No changes in citrate synthase activity were observed in either muscle in the CB2 agonist treatment group.

Discussion


Six weeks of treatment with AM1241 (3 mg/kg body weight) or AM630 (0.3 mg/kg body weight) failed to achieve differences in body weight, body fat percentage and food consumption in a diet induced obese model . However in the CB2 antagonist group citrate synthase activity increased significantly implicating it as a potential oxidative therapeutic target.

Acknowledgments: This work was supported by funding from the Allen Foundation.