Development of obesity can be prevented in rats by chronic icv infusions of AngII but less by Ang(1–7)

Considering that obesity is one of the leading risks for death worldwide, it should be noted that a brain-related mechanism is involved in AngII-induced and AT1-receptor-dependent weight loss. It is moreover established that activation of the Ang(1–7)/ACE2/Mas axis reduces weight, but it remains unclear whether this Ang(1–7) effect is also mediated via a brain-related mechanism. Additionally to Sprague Dawley (SD) rats, we used TGR(ASrAOGEN) selectively lacking brain angiotensinogen, the precursor to AngII, as we speculated that effects are more pronounced in a model with low brain RAS activity. Rats were fed with high-calorie cafeteria diet. We investigated weight regulation, food behavior, and energy balance in response to chronic icv.-infusions of AngII (200 ng•h−1), or Ang(1–7) (200/600 ng•h−1) or artificial cerebrospinal fluid. High- but not low-dose Ang(1–7) slightly decreased weight gain and energy intake in SD rats. AngII showed an anti-obese efficacy in SD rats by decreasing energy intake and increasing energy expenditure and also improved glucose control. TGR(ASrAOGEN) were protected from developing obesity. However, Ang(1–7) did not reveal any effects in TGR(ASrAOGEN) and those of AngII were minor compared to SD rats. Our results emphasize that brain AngII is a key contributor for regulating energy homeostasis and weight in obesity by serving as a negative brain-related feedback signal to alleviate weight gain. Brain-related anti-obese potency of Ang(1–7) is lower than AngII but must be further investigated by using other transgenic models as TGR(ASrAOGEN) proved to be less valuable for answering this question.