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Energy Balance, Thermogenesis and Brown Adipose Tissue Activity in Tube-Fed Rats¹

Department of Physiology, St. George's Hospital Medical School, Tooting, London SW17 ORE, U.K.

Young adult male rats were given a portion (42%) of their normal daily food intake by stomach tube (tube-fed), but they were also allowed free access to the same powdered diet. Total metabolizable energy intake was identical to that of controls, but tube-fed rats gained 25% weight and 50% more body energy than controls over 15 days. Total energy expenditure and resting oxygen consumption, measured during the latter part of the day, were reduced in tube-fed rats. Intubated animals showed a lower thermogenic response to noradrenaline and depressed activity of the mitochondrial proton conductance pathway in brown adipose tissue (assessed from GDP-binding), but brown fat mass, protein content, the density of ß-adreno-receptors in brown fat cell membranes and plasma triiodothyronine (T₃) levels did not differ between groups. These data indicate that the enhanced energetic efficiency and fat deposition of tube-fed rats is due to a lower energy expenditure, resulting, at least in part, from lower levels of thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue.

KEY WORDS: • tube-feeding • energy balance • thermogenesis • brown adipose tissue

¹ This work was supported by grants from Imperial Chemical Industries, PLC, (Joint Research Scheme) and by the Royal Society.

Manuscript received 16 April 1984.