Journal
PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
Volume 203, Issue 1, Pages 73-84Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s00213-008-1370-x
Keywords
Antipsychotic; Clozapine; Energy metabolism; Gene expression; Lipid; Rat; RT-PCR
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Several antipsychotic drugs (APDs) have high propensity to induce weight gain and dyslipidemia in patients, with clozapine and olanzapine as the most potent drugs. These lipid-related effects have been attributed to drug-mediated blockade or antagonism of histamine H1 and serotonin 5-HT2 receptors as well as activation of hypothalamic AMP-activated protein kinase. We recently showed that APDs activate lipid biosynthesis in cultured liver cells through stimulation of the sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP) transcription factors. The objective of the study was to search for clozapine-related lipogenic effects in peripheral tissues in vivo using rat liver as target organ. Adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were administered single intraperitoneal injections of clozapine (25 and 50 mg/kg). Hepatic lipid levels were measured during a 48-h time course. Real-time quantitative PCR was used to analyze expression of genes involved in lipid biosynthesis, oxidation, efflux, and lipolysis. We identified an initial up-regulation of central lipogenic SREBP target genes, followed by a marked and sustained down-regulation. We also observed a sequential transcriptional response for fatty acid beta-oxidation and cholesterol efflux genes, normally controlled by the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha and liver X receptor alpha transcription factors, and also down-regulation of genes encoding major lipases. The transcriptional responses were associated with a significant accumulation of triacylglycerol, phospholipids, and cholesterol in the liver. These results demonstrate that acute clozapine exposure affects SREBP-regulated lipid biosynthesis as well as other lipid homeostasis pathways. We suggest that such drug-induced effects on lipid metabolism in peripheral tissues are relevant for the metabolic adverse effects associated with clozapine and possibly other APDs.
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