Sq. Luo et al., BROMOCRIPTINE REDUCES OBESITY, GLUCOSE-INTOLERANCE AND EXTRACELLULAR MONOAMINE METABOLITE LEVELS IN THE VENTROMEDIAL HYPOTHALAMUS OF SYRIAN-HAMSTERS, Neuroendocrinology, 68(1), 1998, pp. 1-10
We examined whether reductions in body fat stores and insulin resistan
ce in Syrian hamsters induced by bromocriptine are associated with red
uctions in daily norepinephrine (NE) and serotonin activities as indic
ated by their extracellular metabolite levels in the ventromedial hypo
thalamus (VMH). High levels of these monoamines within the VMH have be
en suspected to induce obesity and insulin resistance. Microdialysate
samples from the VMH of freely moving obese male hamsters (BW: 208 +/-
5 g) were collected hourly over a 25-hour period before bromocriptine
treatment, during the first day of and after 2 weeks of bromocriptine
treatment (800 mu g/animal daily, i.p.), and body composition and glu
cose tolerance analyses were conducted before and after 2 weeks of tre
atments. The microdialysate samples were analyzed by HPLC for metaboli
tes of serotonin: 5-hydroxy-indoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), NE: 3-methoxy-
4-hydroxy-phenylglycol (MHPG), and dopamine: homovanillic acid (HVA).
Bromocriptine treatment for 14 days significantly reduced body fat by
60% and areas under the glucose and insulin curves during a glucose to
lerance test by 50 and 46%, respectively. Concurrently, extracellular
VMH contents of 5-HIAA, MHPG, and HVA were reduced by 50, 29 and 66%,
respectively (p < 0.05). Similarly, VMH 5-HIAA and MHPG contents were
48 and 44% less, respectively (p < 0.05), in naturally glucose-toleran
t hamsters compared with naturally glucose-intolerant hamsters. Bromoc
riptine induced reductions of body fat, and improvements in glucose in
tolerance may result in part from its ability to decrease serotonin an
d NE activities in the VMH.