Improving dietary patterns in obese mice: Effects on body weight, adiposity, anhedonia-like behavior, pro-BDNF expression and 5-HT system

May 14, 2024Brain research

Better diets in obese mice linked to body weight, fat levels, pleasure-related behavior, and brain growth and serotonin systems

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Abstract

Changing from a high-fat diet to a control diet over 8 weeks effectively reduced body weight gain and adiposity in obese mice.

Obese mice on a high-fat diet displayed increased body weight and reduced sucrose preference, indicating anhedonia-like behavior.
The dietary intervention led to decreased adiposity and improved behavioral outcomes in the treated group.
Pro-BDNF expression in the hypothalamus was higher in mice switched to the control diet compared to those remaining on the high-fat diet.
No changes were observed in the levels of TPH2 and 5-HT1A serotonin receptor after the dietary intervention.

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INTRODUCTION: The excessive fat accumulation in obesity, resulting from an unbalanced diet, can lead to metabolic and neurological disorders and increase the risk of developing anxiety and depression.

AIM: Assess the impact of dietary intervention (DI) on the serotonergic system, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression and behaviors of obese mice.

METHODS: Male C57BL/6 mice, 5 weeks old, received a high-fat diet (HFD) for 10 weeks for the induction of obesity. After this period, for 8 weeks, half of these animals received a control diet (CD), group obese (OB) + control diet (OB + CD, n = 10), and another half continued being fed HFD, group obese + HFD (OB + HFD, n = 10). At the end of the eighth week of intervention, behavioral tests were performed (sucrose preference test, open field, novel object recognition, elevated plus maze and tail suspension). Body weight and food intake were assessed weekly. Visceral adiposity, the hippocampal and hypothalamic protein expression of BDNF, 5-HT1A (5-HT1A serotonin receptor) and TPH2 (key enzyme in serotonin synthesis), were evaluated after euthanasia.

RESULTS: The dietary intervention involved changing from a HFD to a CD over an 8-week period, effectively reduced body weight gain, adiposity, and anhedonia-like behavior. In the OB + HFD group, we saw a lower sucrose preference and shorter traveled distance in the open field, along with increased pro-BDNF expression in the hypothalamus compared to the OB + CD mice. However, the levels of TPH2 and 5-HT1A remained unchanged.

CONCLUSION: The HFD model induced both obesity and anhedonia, but the dietary intervention successfully improved these conditions.

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Improving dietary patterns in obese mice: Effects on body weight, adiposity, anhedonia-like behavior, pro-BDNF expression and 5-HT system

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