[Abstract Title]. - Society for Neuroscience

Poster
285. Sleep: Molecular, Cellular and Pharmacology I
Time: Sunday, November 16, 2008, 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Program#/Poster#: 285.8/QQ24
Topic: E.08.c. Sleep: Molecular, cellular, and pharmacology
Support: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Japanese 21st Century COE Program,
"Human Nutritional Science on Stress Control"
Title: Bezafibrate, a PPARs agonist, enhances EEG delta oscillation during NREM sleep in mice
Authors: *H. SEI 1 , S. CHIKAHISA 1 , K. TOMINAGA 2 , T. KAWAI 2 , K. OISHI 3 , N. ISHIDA 3 ,
K. ROKUTAN 2 ;
1 Dept Integrative Physiol., 2 Dept Stress Sci., Univ. Tokushima Grad. Sch., Tokushima, Japan;
3 Clock Cell Biol. Res. Group, Natl. Inst. of Advanced Industrial Sci. and Technol., Tsukuba,
Japan
Abstract: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are ligand-activated transcription
factors belonging to the nuclear receptor family. We examined whether chronic treatment with
bezafibrate, a PPARs pan agonist, would alter sleep and body temperature. Mice were fed with a
control diet for two weeks, and body temperature, electroencephalogram and electromyogram
were recorded for 48 hours, under light-dark conditions. After the baseline recording, the mice
were provided with bezafibrate-supplemented food for two weeks, after which the same
recordings were carried out. Two-week feeding of bezafibrate decreased body temperature
especially during the latter half of the dark period. Body temperature rhythm and sleep/wake
rhythm were phase-advanced about two to three hours by bezafibrate treatment. Bezafibrate
treatment also increased the EEG delta power in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep
compared to the control diet throughout 24 hours. Furthermore, bezafibrate-treated mice showed
no rebound of EEG delta power in NREM sleep after six hours of sleep deprivation. DNA
microarray and real time RT-PCR analysis in the hypothalamus showed that bezafibrate
treatment increased Neuropeptide Y mRNA and decreased pro-opiomelanocortin-alpha mRNA.
These findings demonstrate that PPARs participate in the control of body temperature and sleep
regulation, which accompanied with gene expression in the hypothalamus. Activation of PPARs
may enhance deep sleep and improve resistance against sleep loss.
Disclosures: H. Sei, None; S. Chikahisa, None; K. Tominaga, None; T. Kawai, None; K.
Oishi, None; N. Ishida, None; K. Rokutan, None.