ESPE Abstracts

Background: Dysregulation of metabolic regulatory hormones, particularly reduction of growth hormone (GH) and increase in insulin, often occurs during the progress of obesity. Such GH:insulin balance has recently been proposed critically important in affecting metabolism profiles. Time-restricted feeding (TRF) is an effective strategy against obesity and was tested in this study. Compared to wild type mice, LEAP-2 KO mice is prone to obesity induced by high fat diet (HFD). However, changes of metabolic regulatory hormones and effect of TRF have not been studied yet. Thus, the insulin and GH profiles, glucose and lipid metabolism, and energy balance in HFD-fed were studied in LEAP-2 KO mice and the effect of TRF was tested.

Methods: TRF was performed with 8 hour with food in dark period and no food for 16 hours in light period for 10 weeks. Mice were monitored in the PhenoMaster in week 1-2 of TRF. Growth hormone levels in 6 hours were measured in week 5 of TRF. Glucose tolerance, and insulin tolerance were tested at 8, and 9 weeks of TRF, respectively. Energy metabolism-related gene expression was measured in liver and subcutaneous white adipose tissues at the terminal time point.

Results: TRF decreased body weight, white fat, and liver weight; restored GH pulsatile secretion profile; improved the insulin sensitivity, metabolic flexibility, glucose tolerance; and decreased blood glucose fluctuation. In PhenoMaster, TRF increased the usage of lipids in energy spending and reduced the energy storage. In qPCR analysis, TRF stimulated the expression of energy utilising or producing genes but reduced energy and lipid storage genes in adipose tissue and liver.

Conclusion: TRF effectively diminished HFD-induced hyperinsulinemia and restored GH pulsatile secretion profile in LEAP-2 KO HFD-fed mice, causing significant improvement in energy metabolism and body-weight-gain without changing total caloric intake.