Atypical beta-adrenoceptor on brown adipocytes as target for anti-obesity drugs.

Recent studies suggest that thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue has an important role in the regulation of energy balance. Thermogenesis is effected by noradrenaline released from sympathetic nerve endings; the noradrenaline stimulates beta-adrenoceptors, causing lipolysis, and the released fatty acids then promote the uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation from electron transport. It has been widely accepted that mammalian beta-adrenoceptors exist as two subtypes, beta 1 and beta 2, and rat brown adipocyte beta-adrenoceptors have been classed as beta 1 or as a mixed beta 1/beta 2 population. The beta 1 subtype predominates in atria, whereas the beta 2 subtype predominates in trachea. However, we have now found a novel group of beta-adrenoceptor agonists that selectively stimulate lipolysis in brown adipocytes. In contrast, isoprenaline, fenoterol and salbutamol are less potent as stimulants of lipolysis than as stimulants of atrial rate or tracheal relaxation. Therefore, beta-adrenoceptors in rat brown adipocytes are of neither the beta 1 nor beta 2 subtypes. Compounds that selectively stimulate brown adipocyte beta-adrenoceptors should have potential as thermogenic anti-obesity agents and this has been demonstrated with BRL 26830A , BRL 33725A and BRL 35135A .

Treatment of obesity with thermogenic beta-adrenoceptor agonists: studies on BRL 26830A in rodents.

Studies on BRL 26830A in rodents have shown that thermogenic beta-adrenoceptor agonists have potential for the therapy of obesity. BRL 26830A reduced body weight gain in ob/ob mice and fa/fa rats by reducing lipid accumulation. It had no effect on lean body mass. BRL 26830A did not reduce food intake, its anti-obesity effect being due to stimulation of energy expenditure. This thermic effect was enhanced in the obese animals by repeat dosing. BRL 26830A did not affect body weight gain in the lean counterparts of the obese animals because its thermic effect in lean animals was reduced by repeat dosing. Brown adipose tissue is an important site of BRL 26830A-induced thermogenesis. A single dose of BRL 26830A raised brown adipose tissue temperature, depleted brown adipose tissue lipid and unmasked GDP-binding sites in brown adipose tissue mitochondria. Repeat dosing caused hypertrophy of brown adipose tissue and improved cold tolerance in mice. In-vitro studies showed that the rat brown adipocyte beta-adrenoceptor does not fall into the beta 1/beta 2 classification and BRL 28410, which mediates the biological effects of BRL 26830A in vivo, selectively stimulated the brown adipocyte receptor. It is concluded that BRL 26830A achieves its anti-obesity effect by mimicking natural mechanisms involved in thermogenesis and the control of body weight.

Thermogenic and antiobesity activity of a novel beta-adrenoceptor agonist (BRL 26830A) in mice and rats.

The effects of a novel compound, BRL 26830A, on energy balance in normal and obese mice have been investigated. BRL 26830A reduced body weight or weight gain in genetically (ob/ob), goldthioglucose, and cafeteria diet obese mice and genetically obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats. Weight reduction was due to reduced body lipid content. BRL 26830A caused little or no reduction in food intake in these animals but it increased metabolic rate and in genetically obese mice this thermic effect was increased by repeat dosing. BRL 26830A did not reduce body weight gain in the lean counterparts of the genetically obese animals. Its thermic effect was smaller in the lean than the genetically obese mice and it caused an increase in food intake in the lean mice. The thermic effect of BRL 26830A was inhibited by dl- but not d-propranolol. BRL 26830A largely overcame the depression in metabolic rate caused by fasting.

Thermogenic and anorectic effects of ephedrine and congeners in mice and rats.

(-)-Ephedrine has been shown to increase energy expenditure and cause the loss of body fat in rats and mice. The present study compares the effects of (-)- and (+)-ephedrine, (-)- and (+)- pseudoephedrine, (+)- and (+)-norephedrine and (-)- and (+)-norpseudoephedrine on food intake, energy expenditure and body composition in ob/ob and normal mice and food intake in rats. The most potent anorectic and thermogenic compounds had the S configuration at the C-2 position but the orders of potencies for the compounds for anorexia and thermogenesis were not identical. The potencies of the compounds in reducing body lipid content correlated better with their thermogenic than their anorectic potencies.