GLP-1 Agonism Stimulates Browning of Subcutaneous White Adipose Tissue in Obesity Men

January 14, 2017 updated by: Xiang Guang-da

Adipose tissues, which include white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT), play an essential role in regulating whole-body energy homeostasis. Excess expansion of WAT due to positive energy balance and defects in thermogenic gene expression in BAT are associated with obesity and various metabolic diseases. Until 2009 the question of whether adult humans had BAT and whether it could conceivably contribute to whole body energy usage in a meaningful way was a matter of vigorous debate. The publication of three apppers in the New England Journal of Medicine that demonstrated adult humans do have BAT, that it can be activated, and that this activation appears to be defective in obesity reframed the debate, and revived interest in BAT physiology. Recent studies also reveal the presence of a subset of cells in WAT that could be induced by environmental or hormonal factors to become ''brown-like'' cells, and this ''beigeing'' process has been suggested to have strong antiobesity and antidiabetic benefits.

The extrapancreatic actions of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) on endothelial cells and the liver have been reported. Additionally, effects of GLP-1 on adipose tissue have been described. Studies performed in isolated adipocytes have demonstrated that GLP-1 has the ability to induce both lipogenic and lipolytic mechanisms in white adipose tissue (WAT) . More recent study showed that GLP-1 agonism stimulates brown adipose tissue thermogenesis and browning through hypothalamic AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in animal. However, there is no data clearly show that GLP-1 agonism stimulates browning of subcutaneous white adipose tissue (SWAT) in human obesity.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Individuals were treated for 10 days. Biopsy for subcutaneous white adipose (1.5X1.5X1.5cm) was performed before and after 10 days treatment programme under local anesthesia. Measure the brown fat characteristics of biopsy samples.The sample was immediately processed in 3 sections.One part was stored for immunohistology and western blot, the second was snap-frozen for estimation of biochemical markers, and the remainder was used to harvest small subcutaneous arteries with micro-dissection. Also, the perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) was studied on the changes of morphology and possible signal pathways before and after GLP-1 treatment.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

20

Phase

  • Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • China
    • Hubei
      • Wuhan, Hubei, China, 430070
        • Wuhan General Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

20 years to 30 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Male

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Body mass index (BMI) > 30 kg/m2
  • Men
  • Age 20 - 30 years old

Exclusion Criteria:

  • BMI < 30 kg/m2
  • Diabetes
  • Hypertension
  • Use of medicines

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: GLP-1 agonism group
Exenatide injection 10 ug twice daily for 10 days subcutaneously.
Drug: Exenatide
Placebo Comparator: Placebo group
0.9 % sodium choride 0.1 ml twice daily for 10 days subcutaneously.
Drug: Placebo

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
The expression of brown adipose related genes in subcutaneous white adipose tissue
Time Frame: 3 months
Brown fat characteristics of biopsy samples will be assessed by determining the expression levels of uncoupling protein-1 (UCP-1), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-r, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor r coactivator 1 a (PGC1a) , growth factor receptor binding protein-10 (Grb10), PR domain containing 16 (PRDM16); In addition, a combination of PET and computed tomography (CT) - with the glucose analogue 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) as a tracer will be performed for brown adipose tissue before and after GLP-1 agonism treatment programme.
3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Xiang Guang-da

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

June 1, 2014

Primary Completion (Actual)

July 1, 2015

Study Completion (Actual)

July 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 17, 2014

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 18, 2014

First Posted (Estimate)

June 23, 2014

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

January 18, 2017

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 14, 2017

Last Verified

January 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2014Wze091

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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