Investigation into the influence of a high fat diet on antipsychotic-induced weight gain in female rats

• Published in: Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford) Vol. 22; no. 2; pp. 182 - 186
• Main Authors: Fell, MJ, Neill, JC, Anjum, N., Peltola, LM, Marshall, KM
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01-03-2008; Sage; Sage Publications Ltd. (UK); Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Abdominal Fat - drug effects; Adipose tissue; Animal behavior; Animals; Antipsychotic Agents - toxicity; Antipsychotic drugs; Antipsychotics; Benzodiazepines - pharmacology; Biological and medical sciences; Body weight; Body weight gain; Chemical properties; Diet; Dietary Fats - administration & dosage; Drinking Behavior - drug effects; Drug therapy; Feeding Behavior - drug effects; Female; Food intake; High fat diet; Hypophagia; Injections, Intraperitoneal; Laboratories; Medical sciences; Mental disorders; Metabolic diseases; Neuropharmacology; Obesity; Olanzapine; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Piperazines - pharmacology; Promotion; Psycholeptics: tranquillizer, neuroleptic; Psychological aspects; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopharmacology; Psychotropic drugs; Rats; Rattus; Risperidone; Risperidone - pharmacology; Rodents; Thiazoles - pharmacology; Water intake; Weight control; Weight gain; Weight Gain - drug effects; Weight reduction; Ziprasidone; United Kingdom; olanzapine; rat; risperidone; antipsychotic; ziprasidone; obesity; high fat diet; Olanzapine; Rat; Neuroleptic; Psychotropic; Toxicity; Pharmacotherapy; Lipids; Serotonine receptor; Weight gain; Antipsychotic; Female; Risperidone; Benzisoxazole derivatives; Nutritional status; Obesity; Ziprasidone; Dopamine antagonist; Serotonin antagonist; Rodentia; Nutrition disorder; Thienobenzodiazepine derivatives; 5-HT2 Serotonine receptor; Feeding; Vertebrata; Mammalia; D2 Dopamine receptor; Treatment; Diet; Animal; Fat; Piperazine derivatives
• ISSN: 0269-8811; 1461-7285
• DOI: 10.1177/0269881107082287

Atypical antipsychotic drug therapy may result in substantial weight gain, increased adiposity and the promotion of metabolic abnormalities. The mechanism(s) which underlie such effects remain unclear. Previous studies in our laboratory have demonstrated significant weight gain in female rats maintained on a standard laboratory diet after sub-chronic administration of olanzapine and risperidone, but not ziprasidone. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of antipsychotic drugs on body weight, ingestive behaviour and adiposity in female rats with access to a high fat diet. Adult female rats given free access to a high fat diet received either olanzapine (2 mg/kg), risperidone (0.5 mg/kg), ziprasidone (2.5 mg/kg) or vehicle for 28 days. Body weight, food and water intake in addition to intra-abdominal fat deposition were assessed. Olanzapine initially increased body weight but by the end of the study olanzapine animals appeared to have lost weight compared to the vehicle-treated group. Olanzapine-induced reductions in body weight were accompanied by a significant hypophagia during weeks 3 and 4. Risperidone increased body weight during week 1 only and reduced intake of a high fat diet during weeks 3 and 4. Ziprasidone was without effect on indices of body weight and ingestive behaviour. There were no effects of antipsychotic drugs on intra-abdominal fat deposition. Access to a diet high in fat attenuated weight gain induced by olanzapine and risperidone in female rats.