Abstract
We previously demonstrated that daily melatonin administration to middle-aged rats to restore youthful plasma melatonin levels also decreased body weight, visceral fat, plasma leptin, and plasma insulin to more youthful levels, without detectable changes in consumption of chow diet. We now evaluate: (a) whether melatonin alters consumption of a more precisely quantifiable liquid diet similar in high-fat content to the typical American diet; (b) differences between melatonin-induced endocrine responses in the fasted vs fed state; and (c) time course of these responses. Ten-month-old male Sprague- Dawley rats received liquid diet containing either 0.2 µg/mL melatonin (MELATONIN) or vehicle (CONTROL) (n=14/treatment); the diet was available throughout each night, but was removed for the final 10 h of each daytime. MELATONIN rats gained 4% body weight during the first 2 wk and then stabilized, whereas CONTROL rats continued to gain for an additional week, achieving 8% gain (p<0.05 vs MELATONIN). During the first 3 wk, afternoon tail-blood leptin, but not insulin, levels decreased in melatonin-treated rats (p<0.05 vs CONTROL). After 8 wk, half of the rats were killed at the midpoint of the dark period (NIGHT; fed) and half at the end of the light period (DAYTIME; fasted). NIGHT but not DAYTIME plasma leptin levels were decreased in MELATONIN rats, whereas DAYTIME but not NIGHT plasma insulin levels were decreased (p<0.05 vs CONTROL). Melatonin treatment did not alter cumulative food consumption. Thus, melatonin decreased weight gain in response to high-fat diet, decreased plasma leptin levels within 3 wk—before decreasing plasma insulin—and exerted these metabolic effects independent of total food consumption.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Cagnacci, A. (1996). J. Pineal Res. 21, 200–213.
Reiter, R. (1992). Bioessays 14, 169–175.
Pang, S. F., Tsang, C. W., Hong, G. X., Yip, P. C., Tang, P. L., and Brown, G. M. (1990). J. Pineal Res. 8, 179–192.
Koster-Van Hoffen, G. C., Mirmiran, M., Bos, N. P. A., Witting, W., Delagrange, P., and Guardiola-Lemaitre, B. (1993). Neurobiol. Aging 14, 565–569.
Björntorp, P. (1995). J. Intern. Med. 238, 401–404.
Rasmussen, D. D., Boldt, B. M., Wilkinson, C. W., Yellon, S. M., and Matsumoto, A. M. (1999). Endocrinology 140, 1009–1012.
Wolden-Hanson, T., Mitton, D. R., McCants, R. L., et al. (2000). Endocrinology 141, 487–497.
Rasmussen, D. D., Mitton, D. R., Larsen, S. A., and Yellon, S. M. (2001). J. Pineal Res. 31, 89–94.
Levy, J. R., Lesko, J., Kreig, R. J. Jr., Adler, R. A., and Stevens, W. (2000). Am. J. Physiol. Endocrinol. Metab. 279, E1088-E1096.
Morgan, P. J. and Mercer, J. G. (2001). Proc. Nutr. Soc. 60, 127–134.
Kim, Y. B., Uotani, S., Pierroz, D. D., Flier, J. S., and Kahn, B. B. (2000). Endocrinology 141, 2328–2339.
Baskin, D. G., Figlewicz Latteman, D., Seeley, R. J., Woods, S. C., Porte, D. Jr., and Schwartz, M. W. (1999). Brain Res. 848, 114–123.
Yip, I., Go, V. L., Hershman, J. M., et al. (2001). Pancreas 23, 197–203.
Ahren, B., Mansson, S., Gingerich, R. L., and Havel, P. J. (1997). Am. J. Physiol. 273, R113-R120.
Bergman, R. N., Van Citters, G. W., Mittelman, S. D., Dea, M. K., Hamilton-Wessler, M., and Kim, S. P. (2001). J. Invest. Med. 49, 119–126.
Barzilai, N., She, L., Liu, B.-Q., et al. (1999). Diabetes 48, 94–98.
Cohen, B., Novick, D., and Rubenstein, M. (1996). Science 274, 1151–1152.
Barzilai, N., Wang, J., Massilon, D., Vuguin, P., Hawkins, M., and Rossetti, L. (1997). J. Clin. Invest. 100, 3105–3110.
Muller, G., Ertl, J., Gerl, M., and Preibisch, G. (1997). J. Biol. Chem. 272, 10585–10593.
Walder, K., Filippis, A., Clark, S., Zimmet, P., and Collier, G. R. (1997). J Endocrinol. 155, R5-R7.
Fried, S. K., Ricci, M. R., Russell, C. D., and Laferrere, B. (2000). J. Nutr. 139, 3127S-3131S.
Dallongeville, J., Hecquet, B., Lebel, P., et al. (1998). Int. J. Obes. Relat. Metab. Disord. 22, 728–733.
Schwartz, M. W., Prigeon, R. L., Kahn, S. E., et al. (1997). Diabetes Care 20, 1476–1481.
Abbasi, F., Carantoni, M., McLaughlin, T., and Reaven, G. M. (2000). Metabolism 49, 544–547.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Puchalski, S.S., Green, J.N. & Rasmussen, D.D. Melatonin effect on rat body weight regulation in response to high-fat diet at middle age. Endocr 21, 163–167 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1385/ENDO:21:2:163
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1385/ENDO:21:2:163