The contribution of increased thermogenesis to the effect of anorectic drugs on body composition in mice

Abstract

The study investigated whether changes in body composition of normal and genetically obese C57BL/6J (ob/ob) mice caused by the anorectic drugs phentermine, diethylpropion, fenfluramine, and mazindol are entirely due to reduced food intake. Mice were dosed daily (25 mg/kg po) for 28 days after which time carcass composition was determined. Compared to controls fed at libitum, reductions in food intake were for phentermine, 7%; fenfluramine, 17%; diethylpropion, 17%, whereas reduction in body lipid content were for phentermine, 16%; mazindol, 18%; fenfluramine, 8%; diethylpropion, 10%. Since diet restriction by 22% (in the absence of treatment with any drug) resulted in a body lipid content 12% below that of controls fed ad libitum, these results suggest that some of the lipid loss caused by phentermine and possibly mazindol is due to increased energy expenditure. In support of this conclusion, phentermine and mazindol increased energy expenditure in normal mice by 35% compared to untreated controls in the 6 h after dosing but diethylpropion and fenfluramine had little or no effect. Determination of the carcass composition of the normal mice confirmed that phentermine has a metabolic antiobesity effect. Fenfluramine had an unexpected effect on carcass composition in normal mice.