Astroglial Regulation of Caloric Intake Following Acute High‐Fat Diet Exposure

Chronic high fat diet (HFD) exposure results in hyperphagia and the development of obesity. Caloric intake during acute (3‐5 days) HFD exposure, however, is regulated. We have previously shown that increased activation of NMDA receptors on the motoneurons of the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV) contributes to the regulation of caloric intake during acute HFD exposure (Clyburn, et. al. 2018). The mechanism that is responsible for altered excitatory drive to DMV neurons is unknown. HFD exposure is associated with inflammation. Neuroinflammation and astroglial activation have been shown to modulate neural activity and glutamatergic signaling. The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that during acute HFD exposure, astrocyte activation increases the glutamatergic drive to DMV neurons and regulates caloric intake. Male and female Sprague‐Dawley rats were transfected with the astrocyte inhibitory DREADD, pAAV‐GFAP‐hM 4 D(G i )‐mCherry, (“hM4Di”; Addgene #50479‐AAV5; titer 1x10 13 diluted 1:10) or AAV‐GFAP104‐mCherry, (“empty vector”; UNC vector core, titer 2.7x10 12 diluted 1:10). Microinjections were made into the dorsal vagal complex. After recovery, rats were fed a control or HFD (14% and 60% kcal from fat, respectively) for 3‐5 days. Whole‐cell patch clamp recordings were made of gastric‐projecting DMV neurons in thin brainstem slices of transfected rats. The effects of the NMDA receptor antagonist, AP5 (25μM), in the presence of clozapine (10μM) or the DREADD agonist, clozapine‐N‐oxide (CNO; 10μM) on miniature excitatory postsynaptic current (mEPSC) kinetics and action potential (AP) firing rate were examined. The effects of CNO and clozapine on caloric intake and gastric emptying rates using the 13 C octanoic acid breath test were also assessed. As shown previously, following acute HFD, AP5 decreases mEPSC frequency and AP firing rate. This AP5‐mediated decrease was unaffected by clozapine or CNO application to empty vector control groups. CNO in the hM4Di group attenuated the AP5‐mediated decrease in mEPSC frequency and AP firing rate (mEPSC frequency: 54±5.0% vs. 53±9.5% vs. 100±1.5% of baseline, respectively; AP firing rate: 8±5.3% vs. 41±14.9% vs. 111±3.5%; P<0.05 with two‐way ANOVA and post‐hoc Bonferroni; N=7‐9 cells from 3‐5 rats). In addition, the delay in gastric emptying rates observed 4 days following HFD exposure was attenuated by CNO administration to hM4Di rats, while empty vector or clozapine controls were uneffected (119±7.9% vs. 166±7.4% vs. 144±6.7% of baseline, respectively; P<0.05 with two‐way ANOVA and post‐hoc Bonferroni; N=6‐7 rats). CNO administration to hM4Di rats also prevented the regulation of caloric intake normally observed 3‐5 days of HFD exposure, compared to clozapine and empty vector controls (AUC: 964±34.4a.u. vs. 843±14.3a.u. vs. 815±17.9a.u., respectively; P<0.05 from Student's unpaired t‐test; N=6). These data suggest that astrocyte activation is involved in the alteration of glutamatergic currents and the homeostatic regulation of food intake following acute HFD. Understanding the mechanism responsible for the regulation of caloric intake is critical in identifying potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of obesity when such neuroplasticity may be absent.