%0 Journal Article
%T Excess of the endocannabinoid anandamide during lactation induces overweight, fat accumulation and insulin resistance in adult mice
%A Carolina A Aguirre
%A Valeska A Castillo
%A Miguel N Llanos
%J Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome
%D 2012
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1758-5996-4-35
%X To evaluate long-term effects of AEA treatment during lactation on body weight, epididymal fat accumulation and related metabolic parameters during adulthood.Male mice pups were orally treated with a solution of AEA (20£¿¦Ìg/g body weight in soy oil) or vehicle during the whole lactation period. After weaning, food intake and body weight were recorded every 10£¿days. Adult animals were subjected to glucose and insulin tolerance tests. Subsequently, animals were sacrificed and epididymal fat pads were extracted. Circulating levels of plasma insulin, leptin, non-sterified fatty acids (NEFA), triglyceride and cholesterol were also evaluated.AEA-treated mice during lactation showed a significant increase in accumulated food intake, body weight and epididymal fat during adulthood when compared to control mice. When evaluating CB1R protein expression in epididymal fat, the AEA-treated group showed a 150£¿% increase in expression compared to the control mice. This group also displayed significantly higher levels of circulating glucose, insulin, leptin, triglycerides, cholesterol and NEFA. Moreover, a marked state of insulin resistance was an important finding in the AEA-treated group.This study showed that overweight, accumulation of visceral fat and associated metabolic disturbances, such as a higher lipid profile and insulin resistance, can be programmed by a treatment with the endocannabinoid AEA during lactation in adult mice.The increased body of research referring to early life events with long-term consequences, arose from earlier epidemiological studies linking environmental conditions during infancy to a higher risk of disease and mortality in adulthood [1,2]. This situation is a consequence of permanent changes in physiology and/or structure in response to environmental conditions, due to the developmental plasticity of living organisms.Overweight/obesity is a physiopathological condition characterized by an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure, whi
%K Anandamide
%K Overweight
%K Insulin resistance
%K Endocannabinoid system
%K Adipose tissue
%U http://www.dmsjournal.com/content/4/1/35