Role of leptin in body temperature regulation and lipid metabolism following splenectomy

• Splenectomy interferes with serum triglyceride regardless fat content in the diet.
• Splenectomized mice showed greater serum leptin and insulin compared with the sham.
• Leptinemia and insulinemia were not observed in splenectomized ob/ob.
• Leptin is involved in the regulation of body temperature related to splenectomy.

ObjectiveThe physiological changes in serum triglycerides and body temperature that are induced by splenectomy are poorly understood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate parameters related to lipid and glucose metabolism, as well as thermoregulation, in splenectomized mice.Design and MethodsSplenectomized and sham-operated WT mice (C57Bl/6) and ob/ob mice were randomly divided and treated with a standard or high fat diet, and several metabolic parameters and the body temperature were investigated.ResultsSplenectomy induced a significant increase in triglyceride levels regardless of the diet. It was found that the splenectomized WT mice showed greater serum leptin and insulin levels compared with the sham-operated mice. Additionally, the body temperatures of the splenectomized WT mice were greater than the body temperatures of the control animals regardless of diet; this result too was observed without any significant change in the temperature of the splenectomized ob/ob animals.ConclusionThe results suggest that splenectomy interferes with serum triglyceride metabolism and body temperature regardless of the fat content in the diet and that leptin is involved in the regulation of body temperature related to splenectomy.