High-fat diet-induced metabolic disorders impairs 5-HT function and anxiety-like behavior in mice

Br J Pharmacol. 2016 Jul;173(13):2095-110. doi: 10.1111/bph.13343. Epub 2015 Dec 9.

Abstract

Background and purpose: The link between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and depression is bidirectional. However, the possibility that metabolic disorders may elicit anxiogenic-like/depressive-like symptoms or alter the efficacy of antidepressant drugs remains poorly documented. This study explored the influence of T2DM on emotionality and proposed a therapeutic strategy that might be used in depressed diabetic patients.

Experimental approach: Mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) and subjected to a full comprehensive metabolic and behavioural analysis to establish correlations between metabolic and psychiatric disorders. In vivo intra-hippocampal microdialysis was also applied to propose a mechanism underpinning the phenotype of mice fed the HFD. Finally, we tested whether chronic administration of the selective 5-HT reuptake inhibitor escitalopram or HFD withdrawal could reverse HFD-induced metabolic and behavioural anomalies.

Key results: The increased body weight, hyperglycaemia and impaired glucose tolerance in response to HFD were correlated with anxiogenic-like/depressive-like symptoms. Moreover, this phenotype was associated with decreased extracellular 5-HT levels in the hippocampus which may result from increased sensitivity of the dorsal raphe 5-HT1A autoreceptor. Interestingly, the beneficial effect of prolonged administration of escitalopram was abolished in HFD-fed mice. On the contrary, HFD withdrawal completely reversed metabolic impairments and positively changed symptoms of anxiety, although some behavioural anomalies persisted.

Conclusions and implications: Our data provide clear-cut evidence that both pathologies are finely correlated and associated with impaired 5-HT mediated neurotransmission in the hippocampus. Further experiments are warranted to define the most adequate strategy for the treatment of such co-morbidity.

Linked articles: This article is part of a themed section on Updating Neuropathology and Neuropharmacology of Monoaminergic Systems. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v173.13/issuetoc.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anxiety / drug therapy
  • Anxiety / metabolism
  • Anxiety / physiopathology*
  • Behavior, Animal* / drug effects
  • Citalopram / administration & dosage
  • Citalopram / pharmacology
  • Diet, High-Fat / adverse effects*
  • Male
  • Metabolic Diseases / drug therapy
  • Metabolic Diseases / metabolism
  • Metabolic Diseases / physiopathology*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Serotonin / metabolism*

Substances

  • Citalopram
  • Serotonin