Effect of oleoyl-estrone treatment on the expression of beta1- beta2- and beta3-adrenoreceptors in rat adipose tissues.

Adult female rats received a constant i.v. infusion of oleoyl-estrone (3.5 pmol/kg day) in a lipidic suspension for 14 days. On days 0 (no treatment), 3, 6, 10 and 14, as well as on day 14 for controls (receiving only the lipid); the rats were killed and the expression of the beta1-, beta2- and beta3-adrenoceptor genes, in brown adipose tissue and in subcutaneous and periovaric white adipose tissue, were measured by RNA protection assay, and compared with that of cyclophyllin. The beta3-adrenoceptor was the most expressed in all adipose tissues, whereas beta2 was the less expressed in brown adipose tissue. Oleoyl-estrone significantly, but moderately, increased the expression of beta-adrenoceptors in the three adipose tissues: beta1 increased in subcutaneous, beta2 and beta3 in periovaric and beta3 in brown adipose tissue. Oleoyl-estrone also decreased beta3 expression in subcutaneous white adipose tissue. On day 10, adipocytes isolated from periovaric white adipose tissue of oleoyl-estrone-treated rats showed higher cAMP response to an isoproterenol challenge than the controls. The mechanism by which oleoyl-estrone elicits the wasting of fat reserves could be mediated by adrenergic pathways, at least in part.