Nicotine infusion alters leptin and uncoupling protein 1 mRNA expression in adipose tissues of rats.

We attempted to clarify whether leptin and uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) are involved in the action of nicotine on the energy balance. Male Wistar rats were infused subcutaneously with nicotine (12 mg x kg(-1) x day(-1)) for 4 or 14 days. At the end of the 4-day period, the plasma concentrations of leptin of the nicotine-treated and pair-fed rats were lower than those of the freely fed rats, although the levels of leptin mRNA expression in various white adipose tissues did not differ among the three groups. At the end of the 14-day nicotine infusion period, plasma concentrations of leptin were higher, and leptin mRNA expression in the omentum and epididymal and retroperitoneal adipose tissues was stronger in the nicotine-treated rats than in the pair-fed and freely fed rats. UCP1 mRNA expression in the brown adipose tissue of nicotine-treated was stronger than that of the pair-fed rats. These results suggest that continuous nicotine infusion differentially affects the synthesis and secretion of leptin according to the duration of infusion and stimulates UCP1 mRNA expression, probably in a manner independent of leptin.