Beneficial effect of bromocriptine on high fat diet-induced body weight gain, adiposity and biochemical anomalies in wistar rats

Abstract

Objectives: Dopamine plays a critical role in various vital functions, including hormonal regulation, reward, emotions, and food intake. It affects on the multiple aspects of food intake that include food selection, satiety, and energy expenditure. Dopamine D2 receptors (D2R) were found to be lower in several brain regions in both obese experimental animals and humans, and it has been observed that dopamine D2 agonist bromocriptine (BC) can exert favorable metabolic changes in seasonal obesity. The aim of this study was to investigate the beneficial effect of chronic administration of BC a central dopamine receptor agonist on body weight gain, adiposity, and biochemical anomalies in rats. Methods: In this study, chronic administration of BC (2.5 and 5 mg/kg/day, i.p) a dopamine agonist for 8 weeks along with high-fat diet (HFD) to the obese rats which were pretreated with HFD feeding for 8 weeks on the various parameters of obesity were analyzed. The effects of these treatments on body weight, feed intake (kcal), weight and size of fat pads, levels of serum glucose, triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoproteins (HDL), and low-density lipoprotein were analyzed. Results: Treatment with BC (2.5 and 5 mg/kg/day, i.p) produced significant dose-dependent decrease (p<0.05) in body weight gain, feed intake (kcal), weight and size of fat pads, levels of serum glucose, TG, TC, and low-density lipoproteins as compared to HFD group. Moreover, the level of serum HDL was increased as compared to HFD group. BC a dopamine receptor agonist positively modulate the parameters of obesity, and the effect was comparable to orlistat, a well-reported drug for obesity. Conclusion: In conclusion, the study demonstrates that BC ameliorated established obesity and associated biochemical consequences.