Down-regulation of PPARα in the spinal cord contributes to augmented peripheral inflammation and inflammatory hyperalgesia in diet-induced obese rats.

Abstract Obesity is associated with augmented peripheral inflammation and pain sensitivity in response to inflammatory stimulation, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Emerging evidence has shown that activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPARα) in the central nervous system controls peripheral inflammation and pain. We hypothesized that obesity might down-regulate PPARα in the spinal cord, leading to enhanced peripheral inflammation and inflammatory hyperalgesia. Sprague–Dawley rats fed a high-fat diet (HF) for 12 weeks developed metabolic disorder and displayed significantly decreased spinal PPARα expression and activity. Interestingly, intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusion of the PPARα activator palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) in HF-fed rats for 2 weeks normalized spinal PPARα expression and activity without altering metabolic parameters. HF-fed rats were more sensitive to stimulation of the inflamed paw, and exhibited more severe paw edema following carrageenan injection, whereas HF-fed rats receiving ICV PEA had similar pain sensitivity and paw edema to LF-fed rats. No difference in the expression of inflammatory mediators or nuclear factor (NF)-κB activity was observed at baseline among groups. Carrageenan induced decreased PPARα expression and activity, increased spinal cord inflammatory mediator expression and NF-κB activity in both LF-and HF-fed rats. However, the increase was more pronounced in HF-fed rats and corrected by PEA. Intrathecal injection of small interfering RNA (siRNA) against PPARα in HF-fed rats completely abolished PEA effects on peripheral pain sensitivity and paw edema. These findings suggest that diet-induced obesity causes down-regulation of spinal PPARα, which facilitates the susceptibility to peripheral inflammatory challenge by increasing inflammatory response in the spinal cord, contributing to augmented peripheral inflammation and inflammatory hyperalgesia in obesity.