The angiotensin II (ANG II)-ANG II type 1 receptor (AT1R) axis is a key player in the pathophysiology of obesity. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) counteracts the ANG II/AT1R axis via converting ANG II to angiotensin 1-7 (Ang 1-7), which is known to have an anti-obesity effect. In this study, we hypothesized that ACE2 exerts a strong anti-obesity effect by increasing Ang 1-7 levels. We injected intraperitoneally recombinant human ACE2 (rhACE2, 2.0 mg·kg-1·day-1) for 28 days to high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity mice. rhACE2 treatment decreased body weight and improved glucose metabolism. Furthermore, rhACE2 increased oxygen consumption and upregulated thermogenesis in HFD-fed mice. In the rhACE2 treatment group, brown adipose tissue (BAT) mass increased, accompanied with ameliorated insulin signaling and increased protein levels of uncoupling protein-1 (UCP-1) and PRD1-BF1-RIZ1 homologous domain containing 16. Importantly, subcutaneous white adipose tissue (sWAT) mass decreased, concomitant with browning, which was established by the increase of UCP-1 expression. The browning is the result of increased H3K27 acetylation via the downregulation of histone deacetylase 3 and increased H3K9 acetylation via upregulation of GCN5 and P300/CBP-associated factor. These results suggest that rhACE2 exerts anti-obesity effects by stimulating BAT and inducing browning in sWAT. ACE2 and the Ang 1-7 axis represent a potential therapeutic approach to prevent the development of obesity.
Keywords: ACE2; BAT; angiotensin 1–7; browning; obesity.