Capsaicin-induced transcriptional changes in hypothalamus and alterations in gut microbial count in high fat diet fed mice

• Published in: The Journal of nutritional biochemistry Vol. 25; no. 9; pp. 893 - 902
• Main Authors: Baboota, Ritesh K., Murtaza, Nida, Jagtap, Sneha, Singh, Dhirendra P., Karmase, Aniket, Kaur, Jaspreet, Bhutani, Kamlesh K., Boparai, Ravneet K., Premkumar, Louis S., Kondepudi, Kanthi Kiran, Bishnoi, Mahendra
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.09.2014
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-obesity; Bacteria - isolation & purification; Base Sequence; Blood Glucose - metabolism; Body Weight - drug effects; Capsaicin; Capsaicin - pharmacology; Colony Count, Microbial; Diet, High-Fat; DNA Primers; Feeding Behavior - drug effects; Gene Expression - drug effects; Gut microflora; Hypothalamus; Hypothalamus - drug effects; Hypothalamus - metabolism; Intestines - microbiology; Male; Mice; Transcription, Genetic - drug effects; TRPV1; Weight Gain - drug effects; NRP1; UCN; HSP90AB1; Capsaicin; NR3C1; ACTB; GUSB; NCOA1; GHSR; Anti-obesity; IL1R1; ADIPOQ; NPY1R; CARTPT; PPARα; ADRA2B; SIRT1; IL1A; ACOX1; GPD1; IAPP; GAPDH; ADCYAP1R1; DRD1A; RAMP3; GRP; PGC1α; UCP1; IL6RA; Hypothalamus; ADIPOR1; PTGS2; ADIPOR2; MCHR1; CNR1; GALR1; NPY; DRD2; HCRT; NTSR1; NTRK2; NMB; BDNF; SORT1; INSR; CIDEA; CCK; HPRT; TRPV1; Gut microflora; MAPK14; HCRTR1; POMC; PYY; CPD; FASN; LEP; GHRL
• ISSN: 0955-2863; 1873-4847
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2014.04.004

Obesity is a global health problem and recently it has been seen as a growing concern for developing countries. Several bioactive dietary molecules have been associated with amelioration of obesity and associated complications and capsaicin is one among them. The present work is an attempt to understand and provide evidence for the novel mechanisms of anti-obesity activity of capsaicin in high fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. Swiss albino mice divided in three groups (n=8–10) i.e. control, HFD fed and capsaicin (2mg/kg, po)+HFD fed were administered respective treatment for 3months. After measuring phenotypic and serum related biochemical changes, effect of capsaicin on HFD-induced transcriptional changes in hypothalamus, white adipose tissue (WAT) (visceral and subcutaneous), brown adipose tissue (BAT) and gut microbial alterations was studied and quantified. Our results suggest that, in addition to its well-known effects, oral administration of capsaicin (a) modulates hypothalamic satiety associated genotype, (b) alters gut microbial composition, (c) induces “browning” genotype (BAT associated genes) in subcutaneous WAT and (d) increases expression of thermogenesis and mitochondrial biogenesis genes in BAT. The present study provides evidence for novel and interesting mechanisms to explain the anti-obesity effect of capsaicin.