Intermittent injections of osteocalcin improve glucose metabolism and prevent type 2 diabetes in mice

• Published in: Bone (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 50; no. 2; pp. 568 - 575
• Main Authors: Ferron, Mathieu, McKee, Marc D., Levine, Robert L., Ducy, Patricia, Karsenty, Gérard
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.02.2012
• Subjects: Animals; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - complications; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - drug therapy; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - metabolism; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - prevention & control; Diet, High-Fat; Energy expenditure; Energy Metabolism - drug effects; Fatty Liver - complications; Fatty Liver - pathology; Fatty Liver - prevention & control; Glucose; Glucose - metabolism; Glucose Tolerance Test; Injections, Intraperitoneal; Insulin; Insulin - metabolism; Insulin Secretion; Insulin-Secreting Cells - drug effects; Insulin-Secreting Cells - metabolism; Insulin-Secreting Cells - pathology; Liver steatosis; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mitochondria - drug effects; Mitochondria - metabolism; Motor Activity - drug effects; Obesity - complications; Obesity - prevention & control; Orthopedics; Osteocalcin; Osteocalcin - administration & dosage; Osteocalcin - pharmacology; Osteocalcin - therapeutic use; Energy expenditure; Osteocalcin; Glucose; Insulin; Liver steatosis
• ISSN: 8756-3282; 1873-2763; 1873-2763
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bone.2011.04.017

The uncarboxylated form of the osteoblast-specific secreted molecule osteocalcin is a hormone favoring glucose handling and increasing energy expenditure. As a result, the absence of osteocalcin leads to glucose intolerance in mice, while genetically modified mice with an increase in uncarboxylated osteocalcin are protected from type 2 diabetes and obesity. Here, we tested in the mouse the therapeutic potential of intermittent administration of osteocalcin. We found that daily injections of osteocalcin at either 3 or 30ng/g/day significantly improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in mice fed a normal diet. This was attributable, in part, to an increase in both β-cell mass and insulin secretion. When mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD), daily injections of osteocalcin partially restored insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance. Moreover, mice treated with intermittent osteocalcin injections displayed additional mitochondria in their skeletal muscle, had increased energy expenditure and were protected from diet-induced obesity. Finally, the hepatic steatosis induced by the HFD was completely rescued in mice receiving osteocalcin daily. Overall, these results provide evidence that daily injections of osteocalcin can improve glucose handling and prevent the development of type 2 diabetes. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Interactions Between Bone, Adipose Tissue and Metabolism. ► Daily injections of osteocalcin increase β-cell mass and insulin secretion. ► Daily injections of osteocalcin improve insulin sensitivity in a mouse model of type 2 diabetes. ► Daily injections of osteocalcin prevent obesity by increasing energy expenditure. ► Daily injections of osteocalcin prevent liver steatosis.