Chen SM, Hsiao CW, Chen YJ, Hong CJ, Lin JC, Yang CP, Chang YH. Interleukin-4 inhibits the hypothalamic appetite control by modulating the insulin-AKT and JAK-STAT signaling in leptin mutant mice.
Environ Toxicol 2024. [PMID:
38597583 DOI:
10.1002/tox.24264]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Our previous research identified interleukin-4 (IL-4) as a key regulator of glucose/lipid metabolism, circulatory leptin levels, and insulin action, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic target for obesity and related complications. This study aimed to further elucidate the role of IL-4 in regulating hypothalamic appetite-controlling neuropeptides using leptin dysfunctional Leptin145E/145E mice as the experimental model. IL-4 significantly reduces body weight, food intake, and serum glucose levels. Our data demonstrated that IL-4 exhibits multiple functions in regulating hypothalamic appetite control, including downregulating orexigenic agouti-related peptide and neuropeptide Y levels, promoting expression of anorexigenic proopiomelanocortin, alleviating microenvironmental hypothalamic inflammation, enhancing leptin and insulin pathway, and attenuating insulin resistance. Furthermore, IL-4 promotes uncoupling protein 1 expression of white adipose tissue (WAT), suggesting its role in triggering WAT-beige switch. In summary, this study uncovers novel function of IL-4 in mediating food-intake behaviors and metabolic efficiency by regulating hypothalamic appetite-control and WAT browning activities. These findings support the therapeutic potential of targeting hypothalamic inflammation and reducing adiposity through IL-4 intervention for tackling the pandemic increasing prevalence of obesity and associated metabolic disorders.
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