We used parabiosis to determine whether the central nervous system (CNS)-mediated
antidiabetic effects of
leptin are mediated by release of brain-derived circulating factors. Parabiosis was surgically induced at 4 weeks of age, and an intracerebroventricular (ICV)
cannula was placed in the lateral cerebral ventricle at 12 weeks of age for ICV infusion of
leptin or saline vehicle. Ten days after surgery, food intake,
body weight, and
blood glucose were measured for 5 consecutive days, and
insulin-deficiency diabetes was induced in all rats by a single
streptozotocin (STZ) injection (40 mg/kg). Five days after STZ injection,
leptin or vehicle was infused ICV for 7 days, followed by 5-day recovery period. STZ increased
blood glucose and food intake. Chronic ICV
leptin infusion restored normoglycemia in
leptin-infused rats while reducing
blood glucose by ∼27% in conjoined vehicle-infused rats. This
glucose reduction was caused mainly by decreased hepatic gluconeogenesis. Chronic ICV
leptin infusion also reduced net cumulative food intake and increased GLUT4 expression in skeletal muscle in
leptin/vehicle compared with vehicle/vehicle conjoined rats. These results indicate that
leptin's CNS-mediated
antidiabetic effects are mediated, in part, by release into the systemic circulation of
leptin-stimulated factors that enhance
glucose utilization and reduce liver gluconeogenesis.