Exogenous administration of spermine improves glucose utilization and decreases bodyweight in mice

Polyamines are highly charged low molecular weight aliphatic polycations and are ubiquitously present in all living cells. In addition to their previously reported role in cell proliferation and cancer, recent studies support their role in energy homeostasis and glucose metabolism. In the present study we have evaluated a polyamine-spermine for its effect on glycemic, lipid and body weight parameters. High fat diet induced obese mice (6 week old male C57B6/J mice fed on high fat diet for 22 weeks) were dosed with spermine intraperitoneally at two different doses (5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg body weight) for 4 weeks and its effect on body weight, glycemic and lipid parameters was monitored. We found that at a dose of 10 mg/kg bodyweight, spermine treatment resulted in a 24% reduction in the body weight and 18% reduction in the fasting glucose compared to untreated controls. Besides, spermine treated mice exhibited improved glucose utilization associated with improved fat oxidation and loss of white adipose mass. Our study is promising in the direction of exploring the spermine and their analogs for treatment of metabolic syndrome.