Adipose tissue-targeted 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 inhibitor protects against diet-induced obesity

Endocr J. 2011;58(3):199-209. doi: 10.1507/endocrj.k10e-318. Epub 2011 Feb 17.

Abstract

Current pharmacological treatments for obesity and metabolic syndrome have various limitations. Recently, adipose tissue 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) has been proposed as a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of obesity and metabolic syndrome. Nevertheless, there is no adipose tissue-targeted 11β-HSD1 inhibitor available now. We sought to develop a new 11β-HSD1 pharmacological inhibitor that homes specifically to the white adipose tissue and aimed to investigate whether adipose tissue-targeted 11β-HSD1 inhibitor might decrease body weight gain and improve glucose tolerance in diet-induced obesity mice. BVT.2733, an 11β-HSD1 selective inhibitor was connected with a peptide CKGGRAKDC that homes to white fat vasculature. CKGGRAKDC-BVT.2733 (T-BVT) or an equimolar mixture of CKGGRAKDC and BVT.2733 (NT-BVT) was given to diet-induced obesity mice for two weeks through subcutaneous injection. T-BVT decreased body weight gain, improved glucose tolerance and decreased adipocyte size compared with vehicle treated mice. In adipose tissue T-BVT administration significantly increased adiponectin, vaspin mRNA levels; In liver T-BVT administration decreased the mRNA level of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), increased the mRNA levels of mitochondrial carnitine palmi-toyltransferase-I (mCPT-I) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptorα(PPARα). No significant differences in adipocyte size and hepatic gene expression were observed after treatment with NT-BVT compared with vehicle treated mice, though NT-BVT also decreased body weight gain, improved glucose tolerance, and increased uncoupling protein-2 (UCP-2) mRNA levels in muscle. These results suggest that an adipose tissue-targeted pharmacological inhibitor of 11β-HSD1 may prove to be a new approach for the treatment of obesity and metabolic syndrome.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • 11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1 / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Adipocytes / pathology
  • Adiponectin / metabolism
  • Adipose Tissue / drug effects*
  • Adipose Tissue / metabolism
  • Adipose Tissue / pathology
  • Animals
  • Body Weight / drug effects
  • Dietary Fats / adverse effects*
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / administration & dosage
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / pharmacology
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / therapeutic use
  • Glucose Intolerance / drug therapy
  • Injections, Subcutaneous
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase / metabolism
  • Obesity / etiology*
  • Obesity / prevention & control*
  • Piperazines / administration & dosage
  • Piperazines / pharmacology*
  • Piperazines / therapeutic use*
  • Sulfonamides / administration & dosage
  • Sulfonamides / pharmacology*
  • Sulfonamides / therapeutic use*
  • Thiazoles / administration & dosage
  • Thiazoles / pharmacology*
  • Thiazoles / therapeutic use*

Substances

  • 3-chloro-2-methyl-N-(4-(2-(4-methyl-1-piperazinyl)-2-oxoethyl)-1,3-thiazol-2-yl)benzenesulfonamide
  • Adiponectin
  • Dietary Fats
  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Piperazines
  • Sulfonamides
  • Thiazoles
  • 11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1
  • Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase