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Stony Brook, NY. October 22, 2007. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) of the United States of America published results of a breakthrough study aimed at addressing the growing obesity epidemic in the United States. A short stint on a platform that vibrates at a barely perceptible level, repeated daily for fifteen weeks, made a cohort of young adult mice leaner than a control group, researchers report.
Low-level vibration makes mice leaner
Clinton Rubin, Ph.D. and colleagues at Stony Brook University and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory investigated what effect extremely low level vibration would have on the formation of fat cells in the growing animal. Previous results had shown that these mechanical signals, induced at a high frequency of 30-90 times per second, was beneficial to the growth of muscle and bone cells—which develop from the same precursor cells as fat cells. "These low-magnitude mechanical signals appear to do something remarkable, and that is inhibit the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into fat cells," say Dr. Rubin, indication that stem cells turn into either fat, bone or muscle cells. "Theoretically, a mechanical signal that controls the differentiation of stem cells could prevent obesity and perhaps osteoporosis."
The work published in PNAS showed that exposing mice to this buzzing platform, exerting forces much smaller than those that which occur even during walking, for 15 weeks resulted in 27% less adipose tissue (fat). Dr. Rubin interpreted these data to suggest: “That the formation of fat tissue, and the risk of obesity, is not only a metabolic process, but a developmental one as well. Further, the signals need not be big or endured for along time; these mice stayed lean by avoiding the formation of adipocytes.”
This study leverages a collaboration between the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Pharmacology, as well as Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and The Jackson Laboratory. Dr. Stefan Judex, a principal in the study, explains: “The BME faculty involved in this study are really “bone-heads”… bringing in expertise in obesity and diabetes from the Department of Pharmacology, and stem cell differentiation from CSHL, was critical to designing the study and interpreting the results. It has really been great fun to bring all these different perspectives together and consider a new etiology for obesity, and perhaps a new, non-drug intervention for the prevention of this debilitating disease.”
The researchers subjected mice to 15 minutes of low-level vibration a day and kept tabs on the animals’ weight. At the end of the trial, there was a small reduction in weight in the test group, compared to mice that were placed on a stationary platform. However, whole animal scanning, confirmed by weighing the specific fat pads , revealed that the vibrated mice had almost 28% less fat in the torso than controls, achieved by inhibiting the formation of fat from stem cells, rather than metabolizing existing fat. Further, levels of fatty compounds linked to diabetes, such as triglycerides and free fatty acids, were markedly reduced in the livers of vibrated mice.
Research May Lead to a Drug Free Method for Control of Obesity
The researchers suggest that this animal work may someday lead to a non-invasive, drug-free method for control of obesity. The research collaborations between Stony Brook University and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) demonstrate the successful integration of the significant assets of these institutions in contributing to a vibrant research enterprise that fosters innovation and the discovery, development and ultimate commercialization of biomedical technologies. The relationship between CSHL and SBU allows them to marry the tremendous basic and applied research capabilities of a world class research laboratory with the clinical and translational research capabilities of a major research university and medical center.
A longitudinal (top) and transverse (bottom, at level of dashed line) reconstruction of subcutaneous and epididymal fat content through the torso of a control mouse (left) and one subject to 15 minutes per day of an extremely low-magnitude mechanical signal, performed in vivo at 12 weeks using CT signal parameters specifically sensitive to fat. Following 12w of the low-magnitude mechanical signal, the average amount of fat within the torso was 27% lower than that of age-matched controls.
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