leptin and celastrol

Leptin is mainly secreted by white adipose tissue and regulates energy homeostasis by inhibiting food intake and stimulating energy expenditure through its action in neuronal circuits in the brain, particularly in the hypothalamus. However, hyperleptinemia coexists with the loss of responsiveness to leptin in common obese conditions. This phenomenon has been defined as leptin resistance and the restoration of leptin sensitivity is considered to be a useful strategy to treat obesity. This review summarizes the existing literature on potentially valuable nutrients and food components to reverse leptin resistance. Notably, several food compounds, such as teasaponins, resveratrol, celastrol, caffeine, and taurine among others, are able to restore the leptin signaling in neurons by overexpressing anorexigenic peptides (proopiomelanocortin) and/or repressing orexigenic peptides (neuropeptide Y/agouti-related peptide), thus decreasing food intake. Additionally, some nutrients, such as vitamins A and D, can improve leptin transport through the blood-brain barrier. Therefore, food components can improve leptin resistance by acting at different levels of the leptin pathway; moreover, some compounds are able to target more than one feature of leptin resistance. However, systematic studies are necessary to define the actual effectiveness of each compound.

Topics: Agouti-Related Protein; Animals; Blood-Brain Barrier; Caffeine; Eating; Food; Hypothalamus; Leptin; Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Related Protein-2; Neurons; Neuropeptide Y; Obesity; Pentacyclic Triterpenes; Pro-Opiomelanocortin; Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, Non-Receptor Type 1; Receptors, Leptin; Resveratrol; Saponins; Stilbenes; Taurine; Triterpenes

Perinatal nutrition has a well-known influence on obesity susceptibility. We previously demonstrated the protective anti-obesity effects of perinatal leptin administration. Celastrol is a natural compound acting as a leptin sensitizer with anti-obesity effects when administered in adult animals. Here, we aimed to determine if perinatal treatment with leptin, celastrol, or their combination was able to improve metabolic health in animals fed an isocaloric high-fat (HF) diet. Leptin and/or celastrol or their vehicle were administered orally to rats during the suckling period. After weaning, animals were chronically pair-fed with an HF diet provided isocaloric to the intake of a normal-fat diet by control animals to avoid obesity. Isocaloric HF feeding in vehicle-treated animals resulted in metabolic features characteristic of the metabolically obese, normal-weight (MONW) phenotype, i.e., obesity-related disturbances without increased body weight. Leptin treatment prevented liver fat deposition and insulin resistance, induced greater insulin and leptin signaling capacity, decreased gene expression of orexigenic signals at the hypothalamic level, and induced browning in retroperitoneal adipose tissue. However, celastrol treatment did not provide any protective effect and resulted in greater size of the retroperitoneal adipose depot, higher circulating glucose and insulin levels, and decreased leptin sensitivity capacity in adipose tissue. The co-administration of leptin ameliorated the negative effects of celastrol on the retroperitoneal depot, inducing browning and decreasing its size. In conclusion, the perinatal administration of leptin, but not celastrol, provided protection against the consequences of dietary unbalances leading to an MONW phenotype in adulthood.

Topics: Animals; Body Weight; Diet, High-Fat; Dietary Fats; Female; Insulin; Leptin; Obesity; Pentacyclic Triterpenes; Phenotype; Pregnancy; Rats

ER stress and activation of the unfolded protein response in the periphery as well as the central nervous system have been linked to various metabolic abnormalities. Chemically lowering protein kinase R-like ER kinase (PERK) activity within the hypothalamus leads to decreased food intake and body weight. However, the cell populations required in this response remain undefined. In the current study, we investigated the effects of proopiomelanocortin-specific (POMC-specific) PERK deficiency on energy balance and glucose metabolism. Male mice deficient for PERK in POMC neurons exhibited improvements in energy balance on a high-fat diet, showing decreased food intake and body weight, independent of changes in glucose and insulin tolerances. The plant-based inhibitor of PERK, celastrol, increases leptin sensitivity, resulting in decreased food intake and body weight in a murine model of diet-induced obesity (DIO). Our data extend these observations by demonstrating that celastrol-induced improvements in leptin sensitivity and energy balance were attenuated in mice with PERK deficiency in POMC neurons. Altogether, these data suggest that POMC-specific PERK deficiency in male mice confers protection against DIO, possibly providing a new therapeutic target for the treatment of diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Topics: Animals; Arcuate Nucleus of Hypothalamus; Body Weight; Diet, High-Fat; Eating; eIF-2 Kinase; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress; Energy Metabolism; Glucose; Insulin Resistance; Leptin; Male; Mice; Mice, Knockout; Neurons; Obesity; Pentacyclic Triterpenes; Pro-Opiomelanocortin

The prevalence of obesity increases with age in humans and in rodents. Age-related obesity is characterized by leptin resistance and associated with heightened risk of metabolic disorders. However, the effect of leptin resistance per se has been difficult to disentangle from other effects of aging. Here we demonstrate that celastrol, a natural phytochemical that was previously shown to act as a leptin sensitizer, induces weight loss in aged animals, but not in young controls. Celastrol reduces food intake and lowers fasting glucose without affecting energy expenditure. Unexpectedly, administration of celastrol just before the dark period disrupted circadian rhythms of sleep and activity. This regimen was also associated with loss of lean mass an outcome that would not be desirable in elderly patients. Adjusting the timing of celastrol administration by 12 hr, to the beginning of the light period, avoided interference with circadian rhythms while retaining the reductions in body weight and adiposity. Thus, targeting leptin signaling is an effective strategy to ameliorate age-associated weight gain, and can profoundly impact circadian rhythms.

Topics: Aging; Animals; Behavior, Animal; Body Weight; Circadian Rhythm; Eating; Energy Metabolism; Glucose Tolerance Test; Injections, Intraperitoneal; Leptin; Male; Mice; Obesity; Pentacyclic Triterpenes; Triterpenes; Weight Loss

Topics: Animals; Anti-Obesity Agents; Diet; HEK293 Cells; Humans; Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein; Leptin; Male; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Obesity; Pentacyclic Triterpenes; Receptors, Interleukin-1 Type I; Triterpenes

Notwithstanding compelling contribution of NF-κB to the progression of osteoporosis has been reported, little is known regarding direct inhibition of NF-κB benefiting osteoporosis. In this study, therefore, we evaluated the role of celastrol, an NF-κB inhibitor, in a mouse model of secondary osteoporosis. Animals were divided into three groups as Sham (control), SO (secondary osteoporosis) and SO + CA (secondary osteoporosis treated with celastrol). Significant decreases in body weight and body fat were observed following celastrol treatment in SO group, but leptin levels were much higher. Celastrol also exhibited a significant decrease in urinary calcium excretion. Moreover, other important events were observed after celastrol treatment, covering substantial decrements in serum concentrations of PTH, TRAP-5b, CTX and DPD, improved structure of articular cartilage and cancellous bone (revealed by H&E and safranin-O staining), and significant decline in levels of NF-κB (P65), MMP-1, and MMP-9. These findings demonstrated that celastrol treatment not only improved abnormal lipid metabolism and hypercalciuria in mice subjected to secondary osteoporosis, but also ameliorated articular cartilage lesions. Our results provided evidence of targeted therapy for NF-κB in the clinical treatment of secondary osteoporosis.

Topics: Adipose Tissue; Animals; Body Weight; Cartilage, Articular; Disease Models, Animal; Disease Progression; Hypercalciuria; Leptin; Lipid Metabolism; Male; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Molecular Targeted Therapy; NF-kappa B; Osteoporosis; Parathyroid Hormone; Pentacyclic Triterpenes; Triterpenes

The increasing global prevalence of obesity and its associated disorders points to an urgent need for the development of novel and effective therapeutic strategies that induce healthy weight loss. Obesity is characterized by hyperleptinemia and central leptin resistance. In an attempt to identify compounds that could reverse leptin resistance and thus promote weight loss, we analyzed a library of small molecules that have mRNA expression profiles similar to that of celastrol, a naturally occurring compound that we previously identified as a leptin sensitizer. Through this process, we identified another naturally occurring compound, withaferin A, that also acts as a leptin sensitizer. We found that withaferin-A treatment of mice with diet-induced obesity (DIO) resulted in a 20-25% reduction of body weight, while also decreasing obesity-associated abnormalities, including hepatic steatosis. Withaferin-A treatment marginally affected the body weight of ob/ob and db/db mice, both of which are deficient in leptin signaling. In addition, withaferin A, unlike celastrol, has beneficial effects on glucose metabolism that occur independently of its leptin-sensitizing effect. Our results show that the metabolic abnormalities of DIO can be mitigated by sensitizing animals to endogenous leptin, and they indicate that withaferin A is a potential leptin sensitizer with additional antidiabetic actions.

Topics: Animals; Blood Glucose; Blotting, Western; Body Weight; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Diet, High-Fat; Fatty Liver; Fluorescent Antibody Technique; Glucose Tolerance Test; Hypothalamus; Immunohistochemistry; Leptin; Liver; Mice; Mice, Obese; Obesity; Pentacyclic Triterpenes; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Signal Transduction; STAT3 Transcription Factor; Triterpenes; Withanolides

Despite all modern advances in medicine, an effective drug treatment of obesity has not been found yet. Discovery of leptin two decades ago created hopes for treatment of obesity. However, development of leptin resistance has been a big obstacle, mitigating a leptin-centric treatment of obesity. Here, by using in silico drug-screening methods, we discovered that Celastrol, a pentacyclic triterpene extracted from the roots of Tripterygium Wilfordi (thunder god vine) plant, is a powerful anti-obesity agent. Celastrol suppresses food intake, blocks reduction of energy expenditure, and leads to up to 45% weight loss in hyperleptinemic diet-induced obese (DIO) mice by increasing leptin sensitivity, but it is ineffective in leptin-deficient (ob/ob) and leptin receptor-deficient (db/db) mouse models. These results indicate that Celastrol is a leptin sensitizer and a promising agent for the pharmacological treatment of obesity.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Obesity Agents; Energy Metabolism; Gene Expression Profiling; Glucose; Hypothalamus; Leptin; Mice; Obesity; Pentacyclic Triterpenes; Plant Extracts; Tripterygium; Triterpenes