Abstract
(234) 29
The regulation of food intake, a sine qua non requirement for survival, thoroughly 30
shapes feeding and energy balance by integrating both homeostatic and hedonic 31
values of food. Unfortunately, the widespread access to palatable food has led to the 32
development of feeding habits that are independent from metabolic needs. Among 33
these, binge eating (BE) is characterized by uncontrolled voracious eating. While 34
reward deficit seems to be a major contributor of BE, the physiological and molecular 35
underpinnings of BE establishment remain elusive. Here, we combined a 36
physiologically relevant BE mouse model with multiscale in vivo approaches to 37
explore the functional connection between the gut-brain axis and the reward and 38
homeostatic brain structures. 39
Our results show that BE elicits compensatory adaptations requiring the gut-to-brain 40
axis which, through the vagus nerve, relies on the permissive actions of peripheral 41
endocannabinoids (eCBs) signaling. Selective inhibition of peripheral CB1 receptors 42
resulted in a vagus-dependent increased hypothalamic activity, modified metabolic 43
efficiency, and dampened activity of mesolimbic dopamine circuit, altogether leading 44
to the suppression of palatable eating. We provide compelling evidence for a yet 45
unappreciated physiological integrative mechanism by which variations of peripheral 46
eCBs control the activity of the vagus nerve, thereby in turn gating the additive 47
responses of both homeostatic and hedonic brain circuits which govern homeostatic 48
and reward-driven feeding. 49
In conclusion, we reveal that vagus-mediated eCBs/CB1R functions represent an 50
interesting and innovative target to modulate energy balance and counteract food-51
reward disorders. 52
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Introduction
53
54
Feeding is a complex and highly conserved process whose orchestration results from 55
the dynamic integration of interoceptive and exteroceptive signals. The homeostatic 56
and hedonic components of feeding have been attributed to the hypothalamus and 57
the dopamine (DA) reward system, respectively [1]. While the firsts can be broadly 58
defined as key regulators of food intake to ensure optimal energy balance, the 59
seconds mainly relate to the reinforcing properties of sensory stimuli (perception, 60
cues, taste, odors) and reward-associated features of feeding. However, despite the 61
well-accepted recognition that both feeding components are tightly and functionally 62
interconnected [1], they are usually investigated as isolated systems. In addition, the 63
counterpointing central vs peripheral regulations of feeding add a supplemental 64
degree of complexity in the identification of integrative regulatory mechanisms [2]. 65
While energy homeostasis refers to negative feedback mechanisms maintaining 66
body weight at set-points, the combination of both homeostatic and hedonic 67
components of feeding leads to the establishment of feed-forward mechanisms of 68
physiological adaptations. Feed-forward adaptation, also known as allostasis 69
(stability through changes), is critical for energy balance and metabolic efficiency [3] 70
but also contributes to reward-associated events [4]. Indeed, the widespread 71
availability and consumption of palatable diets have profoundly altered the delicate 72
allostatic integration of homeostatic and hedonic signals, leading to the development 73
of metabolic disorders. This is particularly evident in food reward-driven dysfunctions 74
such as binge eating (BE), where uncontrolled feeding perfectly recapitulates the 75
efforts for an organism to adapt its homeostatic processes to the hedonic aspects of 76
feeding. In fact, short- and/or long-term consumptions of energy-rich palatable diets 77
remodel the DA reward system [5] and promote functional adaptations within the 78
hypothalamus [6–8]. Beyond these two core processors of feeding, recent reports 79
have mechanistically demonstrated that the gut-brain vagal axis, besides sensing 80
interoceptive signals and influencing feeding and energy homeostasis [9–11], is also 81
a major modulator of the reward system [12–14]. However, the physiological 82
processes by which the gut-to-brain axis modulates reward feeding remain unclear. 83
Emerging evidence strongly suggest that, besides a plethora of peripheral hormones 84
(i.e. ghrelin, leptin, GLP-1, CCK), peripheral endocannabinoids (eCBs) may be 85
fundamental players in the regulation of feeding and metabolic efficiency [15–17]. 86
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Indeed, eating disorders-associated alterations in peripheral eCBs have been 87
reported in obese and BE patients [18, 19] as well as in diet-induced obese rodents 88
[15, 20]. However, whether and how peripheral eCBs play a permissive role in 89
guiding reward-based feeding behaviors and in buffering the allostatic regulation of 90
energy balance is unexplored. 91
To tackle this question, we took advantage of a physiologically relevant BE-92
like mouse paradigm which, by promoting anticipatory and escalated consummatory 93
food responses, triggers reward-driven behavioral, molecular and allostatic 94
adaptations. Binge eating, which elicited DA-dependent molecular modifications in 95
the reward-related structures [dorsal striatum (DS) and nucleus accumbens (NAc)], 96
revealed an unappreciated integrative gut-to-brain orchestration requiring the 97
modulatory actions of peripheral eCBs. In particular, we show that BE requires an 98
orchestrated dialog between peripheral eCBs and both central hypothalamic and 99
VTA structures through the gut-brain vagal axis, thus modulating both energy 100
balance and reward-like events. 101
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Material and methods
102
See Suppl. Material for the detailed description of materials, methods and 103
techniques, and experimental sizes used in the whole study. 104
105
Animals 106
All experiments were approved by the Animal Care Committee of the Université de 107
Paris (CEB-25–2016) and carried out following the 2010/63/EU directive. 8-12 weeks 108
old male and/or female C57Bl/6J mice (Janvier, Le Genest St Isle, France) were 109
single-housed one week prior to any experimentation in a room maintained at 22 +/-1 110
°C, with light period from 7 AM to 7 PM. Regular chow diet (3 438 kcal/kg, protein 111
19%, fat 5%, carbohydrates 55%, of total kcal, reference #U8959 version 63 Safe, 112
Augy, France) and water were provided ad libitum . Drd2-Cre mice [Tg(Drd2-cre) 113
ER44Gsat/Mmucd, Jackson laboratory] were used for in vivo fiber photometry Ca 2+ 114
imaging in the VTA. Drd2 -eGFP mice [Tg(Drd2-eGFP)S118Gsat/Mmnc] were 115
generated by GENSAT at the Rockefeller University. See Suppl. Material for further 116
details. 117
118
Behaviors 119
Palatable binge eating-like paradigm. Intermittent daily access to a palatable mixture 120
(Intralipid 20% w/v + sucrose 10% w/v) was provided for 1-hour/day during 10-14 121
consecutive days at 10-11 AM in home-cages. During time-locked binge sessions 122
regular chow pellets were not removed. Volume (mL) of consumed palatable mixture 123
was measured at the end of the session. 124
Locomotor activity. Spontaneous and/or induced locomotor activities were measured 125
using an infrared beam-based activity monitoring system (Phenomaster, TSE 126
Systems GmbH, Germany). 127
Tail suspension. To record the activity of GCaMP6f-expressing VTA neurons, mice 128
were suspended above the ground by their tails. Ca 2+ imaging was performed before 129
and during tail suspension. 130
Exploratory drive in a new environment . To record the activity of GCaMP6f-131
expressing VTA neurons in a novelty-induced exploratory drive, mice were put in a 132
new environment (NE) consisting in a novel cage. Ca 2+ imaging was performed 133
before and immediately after changing the environment. See Suppl. Material for 134
further details. 135
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136
Metabolic efficiency analysis 137
Mice were monitored for whole energy expenditure (EE), O 2 consumption, CO 2 138
production, respiratory exchange rate (RER=VCO 2/VO2, V=volume), and locomotor 139
activity using calorimetric cages (Labmaster, TSE Systems GmbH, Bad Homburg, 140
Germany). Ratio of gases was determined through an indirect open circuit 141
calorimeter. This system monitors O 2 and CO 2 at the inlet ports of a tide cage 142
through which a known flow of air is ventilated (0.4 L/min) and regularly compared to 143
a reference empty cage. O 2 consumption and CO 2 production were recorded every 144
15 min during the entire experiment. EE was calculated using the Weir equation for 145
respiratory gas exchange measurements. Food intake was measured with highly 146
sensitive sensors for automated online measurements. Mice had access to food and 147
water ad libitum. Mice were monitored for body weight and composition at the entry 148
and exit of the experiment using an EchoMRI (Whole Body Composition Analyzers, 149
EchoMRI, Houston, USA). Data analysis was performed on Excel XP using extracted 150
raw values of VO2, VCO2 (mL/h), and EE (kcal/h). 151
152
Brown adipose tissue and telemetry body temperature measurements 153
Infrared camera for BAT temperature . Heat production was visualized using a high-154
resolution infrared camera (FLIR E8; FLIR Systems, Portland, OR, USA). To 155
measure brown adipose tissue (BAT) temperature, images of interscapular regions 156
were captured before and after binge sessions. Infrared thermography was analyzed 157
using the FLIR TOOLS. 158
Telemetry body temperature. Anesthetized mice were implanted with a the telemetric 159
transmitter (HD-XG; Data Sciences International) to measure longitudinal fluctuations 160
of core temperature. They were allowed to recover at 35°C and received a daily 161
injection of ketoprofen (Ketofen® 10%) for 3 days. During a 7-days recovery period, 162
mice were monitored and had facilitated access to food. Data were collected using 163
the Ponemah® software (DSI). The detection of transmitted signals was 164
accomplished by a radio receiver (body temperature and locomotor activity) and 165
processed by a microcomputer system. 166
167
Tissue preparation and immunofluorescence 168
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Mice were anaesthetized with pentobarbital (500 mg/kg, i.p., Sanofi-Aventis, France) 169
and transcardially perfused with 4°C PFA 4% for 5 minutes. Sections were processed 170
as previously described [21]. Quantification of immunopositive cells was performed 171
using the cell counter plugin of ImageJ software taking a fixed threshold of 172
fluorescence as standard reference. See Suppl. Material for further details and list of 173
antibodies. 174
175
Western blotting and quantitative RT-PCR 176
At the end of the binge session, the mouse head was cut and immediately immersed 177
in liquid nitrogen for 3 seconds. Brains and sampled structures were processed as 178
previously described [21]. Quantifications were performed using ImageJ software. 179
See Suppl. Material for further details, list of antibodies and primers. 180
181
Drug treatments 182
The following compounds were used: insulin (0.5 U/kg, Novo Nordisk), CCK-8S (10 183
ug/kg, Tocris), liraglutide (100 ug/kg, gift from Novo Nordisk), exendin 4 (10 ug/kg, 184
Tocris), leptin (twice/day for 2 days at 0.25 mg/kg, Tocris), AM251 (3 mg/kg, Tocris), 185
AM6545 (10 mg/kg, Tocris), JD-5037 (3 mg/kg, MedChemExpress), SKF81297 (5 186
mg/kg, Tocris), haloperidol (0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg, Tocris), SCH23390 (0.1 mg/kg, 187
Tocris), GBR12909 (10 mg/kg, Tocris), d-amphetamine sulphate (2 mg/kg, Tocris), 188
JZL184 (8 mg/kg, Tocris). See Suppl. Material for further details. 189
190
Subdiaphragmatic vagotomy 191
Prior to surgery and during 3 post-surgery days, animals were provided with ad 192
libitum jelly food (DietGel Boost #72-04-5022, Clear H 2O) to avoid the presence of 193
solid food in the gastrointestinal tract. Animals received Buprécare® (Buprenorphine 194
0.3 mg) and Ketofen® (100 mg) and were anaesthetized with isoflurane (3.5% for 195
induction, 1.5% for maintenance). Body temperature was maintained at 37°C. Briefly, 196
using a binocular microscope, the right and left vagus nerve branches were carefully 197
isolated along the esophagus and sectioned in vagotomized (VGX) animals or left 198
intact in sham animals. Mice recovered for at least 3 weeks before being used for 199
experimental procedures. See Suppl. Material for further details. 200
201
Quantification of eCBs by UHPLC-MS/MS 202
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Lipids were extracted by liquid/liquid extraction in the presence of deuterated 203
standards. They were then purified by SPE to obtain a fraction containing eCB and 204
NAE that were analyzed by UHPLC-MS/MS using a Xevo TQ-S (ESI source; positive 205
mode). For each analyte, the signal (AUC) of the relevant internal standard was used 206
for normalization. See Suppl. Material for further details. 207
208
Viral production 209
pAAV.Syn.Flex.GCaMP6f.WPRE.SV40 (titer ≥ 1×10 13 vg/ml, working dilution 1:5) 210
was a gift from Douglas Kim (Addgene viral prep #100833-AAV9; 211
http://n2t.net/addgene:100833; RRID:Addgene_100833). 212
pAAV5-hSyn-dLigh1.2 (titer ≥ 4×10¹² vg/mL) was a gift from Lin Tian (Addgene viral 213
prep #111068-AAV5; http://n2t.net/addgene:111068; RRID:Addgene_111068). 214
215
Stereotaxic procedure 216
Mice were anaesthetized with isoflurane, administered with Buprécare® 217
(Buprenorphine 0.3 mg) and Ketofen® (Ketoprofen 100 mg), and placed on a 218
stereotactic frame (Model 940, David Kopf Instruments, California). 219
pAAV.Syn.Flex.GCaMP6f.WPRE.SV40 (0.3 μ l) was injected unilaterally into the VTA 220
(L=−0.5; AP=−3.4; V=−4.4, mm) of Drd2-Cre mice at a rate of 0.05 μ l/min. 221
pAAV5-hSyn-dLight1.2 (0.5 μ l) was injected unilaterally into the NAc (L=−0.75; 222
AP=1.18; V=−4.4, mm) of C57BL6/J male and female mice at a rate of 0.05 μ l/min. 223
The injection needle was carefully removed after 5 minutes waiting at the injection 224
site and 2 minutes waiting halfway to the top. Optical fiber for Ca 2+ (VTA) and 225
dopamine (NAc) imaging was implanted 100 μ m above the viral injection site. 226
Animals were tested 4 weeks after viral stereotaxic injections. 227
228
Fiber photometry and data analysis 229
A chronically implantable cannula (Doric Lenses, Québec, Canada) composed of a 230
bare optical fiber (400 μ m core, 0.48 N.A.) and a fiber ferrule was implanted 100 μ m 231
above the location of the viral injection site in the VTA or in the NAc. The fiber was 232
fixed onto the skull using dental cement (Super-Bond C&B, Sun Medical). Real-time 233
fluorescence signals emitted by GCaMP6f or the DA biosensor dLight1.2 [22] were 234
recorded and analyzed as previously described [21]. Fluorescence was collected 235
using a single optical fiber for both delivery of excitation light streams and collection 236
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of emitted fluorescence. The fiber photometry setup used 2 light-emitting LEDs: 405 237
nm LED sinusoidally modulated at 330 Hz and a 465 nm LED sinusoidally modulated 238
at 533 Hz merged in a FMC4 MiniCube (Doric Lenses) that combines the 2 239
wavelengths excitation light streams and separate them from the emission light. The 240
MiniCube was connected to a Fiberoptic rotary joint connected to the cannula. A 241
RZ5P lock-in digital processor controlled by the Synapse software (Tucker-Davis 242
Technologies, TDT, USA), commanded the voltage signal sent to the emitting LEDs 243
via the LED driver (Doric Lenses). Data are presented as z-score of Δ F/F. See 244
Suppl. Material for further details. 245
246
Statistics 247
All data are presented as mean ± SEM. Statistical tests were performed with Prism 7 248
(GraphPad Software, La Jolla, CA, USA). The detailed statistical analyses are listed 249
in the Suppl. Table 1. Normality was assessed by the D’Agostino-Pearson test. 250
Depending on the experimental design, data were analyzed using either Student t-251
test (paired or unpaired) with equal variances, One-way ANOVA or Two-way 252
ANOVA. In all cases, the significance threshold was automatically set at p < 0.05. 253
ANOVA analyses were followed by Bonferroni post hoc test for specific comparisons 254
only when overall ANOVA revealed a significant difference (at least p < 0.05). 255
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Results
256
257
Time-locked access to palatable diet induces adaptation of nutrient partitioning 258
and metabolic efficiency 259
Several paradigms of bingeing are widely used to model eating disorders [23]. 260
However, the majority of these paradigms mainly rely on ( i) prior alterations of basal 261
homeostasis (food or water restriction/deprivation, stress induction), (ii) dietary 262
exposure to either high-sugar or high-fat foods, or (iii) absence of food choice during 263
bingeing periods. We therefore adapted existing protocols to better study reward and 264
homeostatic components of food intake during binge eating (BE). Since dietary 265
mixtures of fat and sugar lead to enhanced food reward properties [24], we designed 266
a highly palatable diet (sugar and fat) to promote intense reward-driven feeding. 267
Time-locked access to this palatable diet was sufficient to drive escalating binge-like 268
consumption without restricting access to chow diet ( Fig. 1A). In that regard, we are 269
confident that this model is preferentially driven by reward values over metabolic 270
demands since animals are neither food nor water restricted. 271
Male mice intermittently exposed to this dietary palatable mixture maximized their 272
intake within a few days ( Fig. 1B ). This palatable food consumption was 273
simultaneously associated with an increased anticipatory locomotor activity ~2 hours 274
before food access and lasted for another ~1-2 hours ( Fig. 1C, C1), with no changes 275
in the ambulatory activity during the dark phase (Fig. 1C ). The same animals were 276
characterized by a significant reduction in spontaneous nocturnal food intake ( Fig. 277
1D, D1). However, the overall caloric intake [standard diet (SD) + palatable food (PF)] 278
remained similar to controls, thus indicating a conserved maintenance in calories 279
consumption despite reward-driven food intake (Fig. 1E ). Importantly, isocaloric 280
feeding was associated with conserved body weight (BW) and body composition 281
(Fig. 1F, Suppl. Fig. 1A, B). A similar pattern of food reward-driven adaptations was 282
also observed in female mice (Suppl. Fig. 1C-E). 283
Next, we investigated the consequences of BE on metabolic efficiency. Indirect 284
calorimetry analysis revealed an increase in the respiratory exchange ratio (RER) 285
before and after intermittent palatable food consumption ( Fig. 1G, G1), whilst a stark 286
reduction was detected in the dark phase (Fig. 1G ), thereby highlighting a metabolic 287
shift of energy substrates use (from carbohydrates to lipids as indicated by RER ~1 288
or RER ~0.7, respectively). This was further confirmed by the modulation of fatty acid 289
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oxidation (FAO, Suppl. Fig. 1F). In addition, we also observed an increased energy 290
expenditure (EE) during the food anticipatory and consummatory phases ( Fig. 1H, 291
H1). Furthermore, infrared thermographic analysis revealed that BE was associated 292
with a transient increase in brown adipose tissue (BAT) energy dissipation ( Fig. 1I), 293
while telemetric recording of core body temperature revealed a BE-specific increase 294
during the anticipatory, consummatory and post-prandial phases ( Fig. 1J, J1, Suppl. 295
Fig. 1G ) and a sharp reduction during the last hours of the dark phase. Overall, 296
changes in core body temperature were fostered around the time of locked palatable 297
food access and overlapped with the increase in locomotor activity (Fig. 1J, K). 298
Access to calories-rich food and time-restricted feeding are invariably associated with 299
changes in circulating signals reflecting metabolic and behavioral adaptations [25]. In 300
line with this, we observed that our BE model was associated with reduced 301
circulating triglycerides and insulin, and increased circulating corticosterone during 302
the anticipatory phase ( Suppl. Fig. 1H-J ) while insulin sensitivity, as assessed by 303
oral glucose tolerance test, remained unchanged ( Suppl. Fig. 1K, L ). These data 304
indicate that homeostatic adaptations occurring during time-locked palatable feeding 305
lead to changes in lipid-substrates utilization and promote adaptive activation of the 306
hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. However, bingeing did not elicit major 307
changes in the expression of key hunger- and satiety-related hypothalamic genes 308
(Npy, Agrp, Pomc, Cart, Hcrt, Suppl. Fig. 1M). 309
Overall, these results point to rapid reward-driven allostatic adaptations during which 310
animals optimize their palatable food consumption and physiologically adapt, at the 311
cost of regular chow food intake, to maintain a stable body weight. 312
313
BE induces dopamine-related modifications in a D1R-dependent manner 314
Dopamine (DA)-neurons and DA-sensitive structures, such as the dorsal striatum 315
(DS) and the nucleus accumbens (NAc), are critical players in reward-based 316
paradigms and in BE disorders [26, 27]. Here, we investigated whether and how 317
bingeing modulated the DA-associated signaling machinery. The activations 318
(phosphorylation) of the ribosomal protein S6 and the extracellular signal-regulated 319
kinases (ERK) were used as functional readouts of DA-dependent molecular activity 320
[28, 29] ( Suppl. Fig. 2A, B ). The food anticipatory phase was associated with an 321
increase in phospho-ERK only in the DS ( Fig. 2A, B, Suppl. Fig. 2C ), mostly 322
reflecting the increased locomotor activity during the anticipatory phase. Palatable 323
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food consumption induced an increase in phospho-ERK and phospho-S6 (at both 324
Ser235/236 and Ser 240/244 sites) in both DS and NAc ( Fig. 2A, B, Suppl. Fig. 2C). 325
Interestingly, acute (single) consumption of palatable diet failed to trigger ERK and 326
S6 activation ( Fig. 2A, B, Suppl. Fig. 2C), revealing that molecular adaptations of 327
DA signaling in the DS/NAc require the full establishment of BE and not only 328
palatable food consumption. Immunofluorescence analysis further confirmed BE-329
induced S6 activation (Suppl. Fig. 2D, E). 330
Next, we wondered whether food-reward anticipatory and/or consummatory 331
phases were followed by adaptive changes in DA signaling. We treated mice with 332
GBR12909 (10 mg/kg), a specific DA transporter (DAT) blocker that leads to synaptic 333
accumulation of DA. Interestingly, we observed a different behavior depending on BE 334
phases (anticipatory vs consummatory). Before palatable food access, GBR similarly 335
increased locomotor activity in both bingeing and control animals ( Fig. 2C, C 1). 336
However, when GBR was administered following palatable food consumption (1h), 337
GBR-induced locomotor response was blunted in bingeing animals ( Fig. 2D, D 1). 338
These results indicate that BE-induced physiological adaptations are characterized 339
by the enabled ability for palatable food to impinge on DA release and action. 340
At the postsynaptic level, DA acts onto medium spiny neurons (MSNs) which express 341
either the dopamine D1R or D2R. In order to discriminate the role of D1R vs D2R 342
signaling in BE, we pretreated animals with the D1R antagonist SCH23390 (0.1 343
mg/kg) or vehicle (Veh) 30 min prior access to palatable diet. SCH23390 dramatically 344
reduced palatable food consumption (Fig. 2E). On the contrary, 30 min pretreatment 345
with the D2R antagonist haloperidol (0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg) did not dampen palatable 346
food consumption (Fig. 2F), even at cataleptic doses [30]. In line with this evidence, 347
activation of striatal D1R leads to downstream phosphorylation of S6 and ERK [28, 348
29]. The adaptive molecular changes also required D1R activation since SCH23990 349
(0.1 mg/kg) largely suppressed BE-associated phosphorylation of S6 in both DS (Fig. 350
2G, G1, H1) and NAc ( Fig. 2G2, H 2, Suppl. Fig. 2F ). Of note, although SCH23390 351
reduced binge-elicited anticipatory locomotor activity, basal locomotor activity in 352
naive animals was not impaired (Fig. 2I, I 1), thereby excluding the confounding 353
effects due to changes in basal locomotor activity. Furthermore, a compensatory 354
rescue in chow intake was observed in SCH23390-pretreated bingeing animals 355
during the dark phase, excluding potential long-lasting effects of the D1R inhibition 356
(Fig. 2J). To further validate the implication of D1R in BE-elicited DA modifications, 357
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we measured the locomotor activity triggered by the D1R agonist SKF81297 (5 358
mg/kg) at the end of the BE session (1h after food access). Interestingly, we 359
observed an earlier (first 30 min) significant increase in locomotor activity in bingeing 360
animals compared to control mice, although no major differences were detected 361
during the cumulative 2-hrs response (Fig. 2K, K1). 362
Overall, our results reveal that the critical phases surrounding palatable food 363
consumption in the context of BE profoundly affect D1R-associated signaling. 364
365
Peripheral endocannabinoids govern binge eating 366
Recent studies have highlighted the role of neuronal and endocrine gut systems in 367
the regulation of food reward-seeking and DA-associated behaviors [31, 32]. We 368
therefore tested whether gut-born metabolic signals had a privileged action onto BE-369
like consumption of palatable diet when compared to other known circulating satiety 370
signals. 371
First, we observed that peripherally injected leptin (repeated 0.25 mg/kg, Suppl. Fig. 372
3A, B ) or insulin (acute, 0.5 U/kg) did not trigger any reduction in palatable food 373
consumption when administered in bingeing animals (Fig. 3A). Then, we investigated 374
whether gut-born satiety signals retained anorectic properties with a similar protocol. 375
GLP-1R agonists, exendin-4 (10 µg/kg) and liraglutide (100 µg/kg), successfully 376
reduced binge-consumption of palatable diet ( Fig. 3A). Moreover, pharmacological 377
activation of GLP-1R, which did not alter spontaneous ambulatory activity, was also 378
associated with a decrease in the anticipatory and consummatory locomotor phases 379
(Suppl. Fig. 3C, D ). Similarly, the cholecystokinin (CCK) analog CCK-8S (10 µg/kg) 380
acutely decreased palatable food intake ( Fig. 3A). Since only the anorectic action of 381
gut-born signals was efficient in counteracting binge-like consumption, we also 382
investigated the effect of endocannabinoids (eCBs) which are important signals in 383
relaying nutrients-induced adaptive responses in the gut-brain axis [33, 34]. We 384
acutely inhibited the CB1R with the global acting antagonist/inverse agonist AM251 385
(3 mg/kg, i.p.) and observed a dramatic reduction of BE-like consumption ( Fig. 3A). 386
Next, we wondered whether bingeing was accompanied by alterations in circulating 387
peripheral eCBs [anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG)] and eCBs-388
related species [docosahexanoyl ethanolamide (DHEA), oleoylethanolamide (OEA)]. 389
While circulating N-acylethanolamines (AEA, DHEA, OEA) remained unaffected, 390
bingeing induced a significant increase in circulating 2-AG ( Fig. 3B). No differences 391
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in central 2-AG levels were detected in key brain regions such as the hypothalamus, 392
VTA, DS and NAc (Suppl. Fig. 4A-D). 393
Given the rise in peripheral 2-AG, we were eager to explore the role of peripheral 394
CB1R signaling in BE outputs. Thus, we used the bona fide peripherally restricted 395
CB1R neutral antagonist AM6545 (10 mg/kg, i.p.) or inverse agonist JD-5037 (3 396
mg/kg, i.p.), two compounds with poor blood brain barrier permeability [35–37]. 397
Pretreatment (1h before bingeing) with AM6545 or JD-5037 induced a stark reduction 398
of BE consumption when administered acutely (Fig. 3C). Conversely, the increase of 399
2-AG, achieved through the pharmacological inhibition (JZL184, 8 mg/kg) of its 400
catabolic enzyme monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) [38], resulted in an increase of 401
palatable food consumption that was fully prevented by AM6545 ( Fig. 3D ). This 402
bidirectional modulatory action of eCBs/CB1R on BE did not show signs of 403
desensitization and remained efficient throughout 4 days of daily pharmacological 404
intervention (Fig. 3E). In the same line, thermogenic and locomotor activity analyses 405
revealed that acute pretreatment with AM6545 strongly dampened both the 406
anticipatory and consummatory phases of BE ( Fig. 3F, Suppl. Fig. 4E ) as well as 407
the activation of S6 and cFos in the DS and NAc of bingeing mice ( Fig. 3G) with no 408
sex-dependent differences ( Suppl. Fig. 4F ). These results indicate that peripheral 409
CB1R signaling is sufficient to control compulsive eating in BE and its reward-like 410
molecular adaptations. 411
412
We next explored how peripheral CB1R signaling modulates metabolic 413
efficiency in the context of BE. Pretreatment with AM6545 significantly increased fatty 414
acid oxidation (FAO) ( Fig. 3H, H 1). Importantly, this AM6545-induced FAO did not 415
depend on reduced calorie intake (Binge session) or basal calorie contents (NoBinge 416
session) (Fig. 3H2) nor on altered energy expenditure (EE) ( Suppl. Fig. 4G). These 417
Results
indicate that acute manipulation of peripheral eCB tone affects nutrient 418
partitioning and promotes a shift towards whole body lipid-substrate utilization. 419
Importantly, oral administration (p.o.) of AM6545 did not blunt bingeing responses 420
(Fig. 3I) nor increase FAO ( Fig. 3J). These results suggest that, in our behavioral 421
model, CB1R-mediated homeostatic adaptations do not depend on the lumen-422
oriented apical CB1R of endothelial or enteroendocrine intestinal cells [39, 40] but 423
rather on non-lumen-oriented CB1R. 424
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Given these results, we investigated the anatomo-functional structures at the 425
interface between peripheral and central systems. Compared to control and bingeing 426
mice, AM6545-pretreated bingeing mice showed a more pronounced neuronal 427
activation in the caudal nucleus tractus solitarius (cNTS) and the area postrema (AP) 428
(Fig. 3K) as well as in the cNTS-projecting lateral parabrachial nucleus (lPBN) ( Fig. 429
3L), thus pointing the gut-brain vagal axis as potential mediator of our effects. 430
431
The gut-brain vagal axis is required for eCBs-mediated effects 432
Recent reports have indicated that CB1R is densely expressed in vagal afferent 433
neurons [41]. To discriminate between all vagal afferents, we performed a meta-434
analysis on recent single-cell transcriptomic results [9] obtained through a path-435
specific viral strategy of gut segments ( Fig. 4A). This analysis revealed that Cnr1 436
(gene encoding for CB1R), but not Cnr2, is highly enriched in all segments of the gut-437
brain vagal axis ( Fig. 4B, Suppl. Fig. 4H, I ) and that, together with well-known 438
afferent markers (Slc17a6 , Scn10a, Htr3a, Cartpt, Grin1, Phox2b), Cnr1 may be 439
considered as a constitutive marker of vagal sensory neurons. Thus, we took 440
advantage of subdiaphragmatic vagotomy (VGX) to investigate whether the eCBs-441
vagus axis was necessary/sufficient to mediate the modulatory effects of eCBs on 442
BE. 443
First, we tested whether the pro-bingeing effects of the MAGL inhibitor JZL184 ( Fig. 444
3D, E) required an intact vagal transmission. Although vagotomy per se was 445
associated with a decrease in time-locked hedonic feeding (see Fig. 4C, E ) and 446
consequent BE-derived compensatory homeostatic adaptations ( Suppl. Fig. 5 ), 447
repeated inhibition (4 days) of MAGL (JZL184, 8 mg/kg) induced a significant 448
increase of palatable food consumption only in sham animals (Fig. 4C). 449
Second, we tested whether the anti-bingeing effects of AM6545 were also routed by 450
the vagus nerve. In sham mice, acute AM6545 led to a strong increase of cFos-451
positive neurons in the cNTS, AP and cNTS-projecting lPBN, while the signal was 452
abolished in VGX mice (Fig. 4D, D 1, D2). Of note, blockade of peripheral CB1R did 453
not activate the rostral NTS (rNTS) (Suppl. Fig. 4J), thus indicating and further 454
confirming that gut-to-brain vagal inputs are necessary to mediate the action of 455
AM6545. 456
We also observed that the integrity of the vagus nerve was essential to mediate the 457
anorectic action of AM6545 on BE behavior since the peripheral CB1R antagonist did 458
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not trigger anti-bingeing responses in VGX mice compared to sham mice ( Fig. 4E). 459
Furthermore, vagotomy abolished the increase in FAO following AM6545 460
administration observed in sham mice ( Fig. 4F, F 1, G, G 1), indicating that the gut-461
brain vagal communication routes feeding and the metabolic components associated 462
with BE. 463
These vagus-dependent homeostatic adaptations promoted by the peripheral 464
blockade of CB1R prompted us to investigate whether AM6545 was able to alter the 465
activity of brainstem-projecting hypothalamic structures that control feeding. Indeed, 466
AM6545 induced a strong vagus-dependent increase of cFos-positive neurons in the 467
PVN and DMH regions (Fig. 4H, I), indicating that the metabolic adaptations induced 468
by peripheral blockade of CB1R require a vagus-mediated 469
cNTS→ PBN→ hypothalamus circuit whose nodes’ activation control feeding and 470
energy homeostasis [42–44]. 471
472
Peripheral CB1R signaling routed by the vagus nerve controls the activity of 473
VTA dopamine neurons 474
Palatable bingeing also strongly relies on central DA-dependent mechanisms ( Fig. 475
2). Therefore, we explored the functional connection between peripheral eCBs and 476
the gut-to-brain vagal axis in the modulation of the DA system. Since 477
hedonic/motivated spontaneous feeding is blunted in AM6545-treated mice ( Fig. 3, 478
4), a feature limiting further in vivo investigations of DA/reward events, we promoted 479
and gauged the activity of the DA system by using pharmacological tools. Naive mice 480
were acutely pretreated with AM6545 (or JD-5037) or vehicle 1h before being 481
administered with the DAT blocker GBR12909. Blockade of peripheral CB1R 482
drastically reduced GBR-induced locomotor activity ( Fig. 5A, A 1, B, B 1) as well as 483
GBR-triggered cFos in the striatum ( Fig. 5C, C 1). To further study in vivo DA 484
dynamics, we took advantage of the virally expressed DA biosensor dLight1.2 485
coupled to in vivo fiber photometry [22]. Importantly, pretreatment with AM6545 486
blunted GBR-evoked accumbal DA accumulation (Fig. 5D, D 1). Interestingly, unlike 487
the brain penetrant CB1R antagonist/inverse agonist AM251, the peripheral AM6545 488
failed in counteracting amphetamine-induced locomotor activity ( Fig. 5E, F, Suppl. 489
Fig. 6A). This evidence indicates a clear difference in the action of peripheral vs 490
central CB1R and suggests that inhibition of peripheral CB1R may modulate the 491
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intrinsic spontaneous activity of DA-neurons rather than altering evoked DA release 492
events. 493
Altogether, these results reveal that inhibition of peripheral CB1R, besides promoting 494
satiety and FAO (Fig. 3, 4 ), may dampen reward-driven feeding also by 495
concomitantly reducing DA-neurons spontaneous activity and consequent activation 496
of dopaminoceptive structures. 497
To directly address this point, VGX mice were acutely pretreated with AM6545 1h 498
prior GBR12909. Remarkably, ablation of the vagus nerve abolished the blunting 499
effect of AM6545 on GBR-elicited locomotor activity ( Fig. 5G, G 1). Moreover, 500
consistently with what observed for palatable bingeing (Fig. 3I ), this vagus-to-brain 501
effect was further highlighted by the lack of action of AM6545 when orally 502
administered (Fig. 5H, Suppl. Fig. 6B). 503
Finally, to fully establish that peripheral inhibition of CB1R modulates the activity of 504
VTA DA-neurons, we performed cell type-specific in vivo Ca 2+ imaging of DA-505
neurons in presence or absence of AM6545. We took advantage of Drd2-Cre mice to 506
virally express GCaMP6f in VTA DA-neurons ( Fig. 6A) as they co-express the 507
autoreceptor D2R ( Suppl. Fig. 6C ). Indeed, using this mouse line we were able to 508
detect activation and inhibition of VTA DA-neurons following rewarding (high-fat high-509
sugar pellet) or aversive (scruff restraint) events (Suppl. Fig. 6D, E), respectively. To 510
trigger the activity of DA-neurons independently from food- or drugs-associated 511
stimuli, we used two paradigms that modulate DA-neurons: the tail suspension [45] 512
and exposure to a new environment [46] which promotes exploration ( Fig. 6B). 513
Inhibition of peripheral CB1R led to a reduced activation of VTA DA-neurons during 514
both paradigms (Fig. 6C, D). At the behavioral level, while AM6545 did not alter the 515
time of immobility in the tail suspension test (Fig. 6E), it reduced the exploratory drive 516
in a vagus-dependent manner (Fig. 6F, F 1). Of note, the brain permeable AM251 517
reduced exploratory drive in a vagus-independent manner (Fig. 6G). 518
Collectively, these results reveal that peripheral CB1R signaling routed through the 519
vagal axis exerts an integrative control over metabolic/satietogenic (Fig. 3, 4) and DA 520
paths (Fig. 5, 6), both of which are pivotal for the establishment of BE. 521
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Discussion
522
523
A characteristic feature of feeding behavior is its key ability to dynamically adapt to 524
sensory and environmental stimuli signaling food availability. Such adaptive strategy 525
is even more pronounced when food is palatable and energy-dense. Indeed, the 526
control of feeding strategies requires complex and highly interactive systems that can 527
hardly be unequivocally attributed to single structures, circuits or mediators. 528
In our study, we observed that, first, palatable time-locked feeding mobilizes both 529
homeostatic and hedonic components of feeding through fast, but yet physiological, 530
allostatic adaptations. Second, such allostatic adaptations require a concerted 531
involvement of central DA (hedonic drive) and peripheral eCBs signaling 532
(homeostatic and hedonic drive). Third, the permissive role of peripheral eCBs fully 533
relies on the vagus nerve which, by a polysynaptic circuit, controls the activity of both 534
satietogenic and reward (dopamine) structures. Fourth, our results point to peripheral 535
CB1R neutral antagonists as promising therapeutic tools to counteract eating as well 536
as reward-related disorders. 537
Overall, our study describes for the first time the fundamental role of eCB gut-brain 538
transmission as a core component of binge eating and its behavioral, cellular and 539
molecular adaptations. 540
541
Here, by investigating the pathways involved in hedonic feeding in absence of 542
hunger or energy deprivation, we provide evidence that the hedonic drive to eat, as 543
triggered by our intermittent time-locked model, promotes rapid homeostatic 544
compensations leading to escalating consumption of palatable food and to allostatic 545
adaptations of energy metabolism. As such, caloric demands are fulfilled and 546
classical energy-mediated homeostatic signals (leptin, insulin) do not seem to 547
spontaneously interfere, thus providing us the opportunity to study food intake-related 548
integrative pathways with the abstraction of the homeostatic vs hedonic discrepancy. 549
In line with clinical data [47, 48], we observed that binge-like feeding in lean animals 550
is not necessarily associated with overweight gain. The allostatic adaptations 551
observed, ranging from increased anticipatory feeding phase to pre-feeding 552
increased corticosterone levels and food intake maximization, all represent key 553
hallmarks of the compulsive and emotional states of BE patients [49–51]. The 554
anticipatory feeding phase was associated with decreased levels of plasma TG and 555
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insulin, whereas both anticipatory and consummatory phases were characterized by 556
increased energy expenditure, core temperature and metabolic efficiency, thereby 557
suggesting a metabolic shift of nutrients’ use. This observation perfectly mirrors the 558
allostatic theory, which stands on the fact that an organism anticipates and adapts to 559
environmental changes while accordingly adjusting several physiological parameters 560
to maintain stable physiological states [52, 53]. Allostatic mechanisms have 561
classically been discussed in terms of stress-related regulatory events. However, the 562
hedonic value of a stimulus (food, recreational drugs) can function as a feed-forward 563
allostatic factor [4]. 564
565
In line with this notion, analysis of key DA-activated downstream targets in the 566
DS and NAc highlighted specific patterns of molecular activation. Notably, while the 567
anticipatory phase was associated with an increase in ERK and S6 Ser235/236 568
phosphorylations, the consummatory phase was also accompanied by a robust 569
increase in mTOR-mediated S6 Ser240/244 activation. Such signaling events, which did 570
not depend on a single episode of palatable food intake, required the dopamine D1R. 571
Whether this molecular regulation reflects the full establishment of BE or the amount 572
of ingested palatable food remains to be established. Nevertheless, this D1R 573
mechanism is of interest since, contrary to the well-known molecular insights of drugs 574
of abuse also requiring the D1R [54–56], food-related disorders have usually been 575
predominantly associated with altered D2R signaling [57, 58]. Our results reveal that 576
binge eating, characterized by transients and sudden urges of hedonic drive, 577
requires, at least in its early phases, a D1R-mediated transmission. This D1R-578
dependent mechanism is in line with the affinity and time-dependent dynamics of 579
dopamine effects [54] as well as with the molecular action of released DA which, by 580
binding to Gα (olf)-coupled D1R, would trigger the activation of the aforementioned 581
pathways, while activation of the Gi-coupled D2R would lead to their inhibition. 582
However, in clear opposition to psychostimulants, which directly act at central DA 583
synapses, food and food-mediated behaviors impact on DA transmission through a 584
plethora of indirect and often peripherally born long-range acting mediators. Notably, 585
nutrients, as demonstrated by intragastric infusion of fat and sugar [14, 59–61], or 586
gut-born signals [62–64], are sufficient to modulate DA release in reward-related 587
structures. Here, we observed that gut-born signals such as CCK, GLP1 and 588
endocannabinoids (eCBs) are essential in gating bingeing. In particular, we found 589
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20
that time-locked consumption of palatable food was associated with a rise in 590
peripheral endogenous eCBs, notably 2-AG. Furthermore, inhibition of the 2-AG-591
degrading enzyme MAG lipase resulted in a potentiation of palatable food 592
consumption. Thus, by taking advantage of low brain permeant CB1R 593
antagonists/inverse agonists, we observed that blockade of CB1R was able to fully 594
abolish both anticipatory and consummatory phases of hedonic feeding as well as 595
the potentiated feeding induced by the MAG lipase inhibitor. These effects agree with 596
the literature showing that endogenous peripheral eCBs are highly and dynamically 597
modulated in eating disorders, and act as powerful mediators of the gut-to-brain 598
integration [17]. 599
600
Previous studies have shown that (chronic) administration of AM6545 601
promoted long-term maintenance of weight loss and reduction of dyslipidemia in 602
obesity [35, 37]. Here, we show that a single, as well as repeated (4 days), 603
administration of AM6545 potently inhibits binge eating and its molecular 604
adaptations. The anorectic effects of peripheral blockade of CB1R have been, at 605
least in part, attributed to the property of global CB1R antagonists to promote fatty 606
acid oxidation (FAO). In agreement with these studies, we have observed that acute 607
administration of AM6545 was able to dramatically increase FAO independently of 608
food intake. However, here we also demonstrate that such effects require the vagus 609
nerve. The action of endogenous eCBs as well as of AM6545 on CB1R-expressing 610
vagal afferents [41] may explain our results. In fact, an increase in endogenous eCBs 611
during palatable feeding would slow the vagus nerve activity through the inhibitory 612
Gi-coupled signaling of CB1R, thus delaying cNTS-reaching satiety signals and 613
promoting food intake. On the contrary, peripheral blockade of CB1R, especially 614
when peripheral eCB levels are endogenously high ( i.e. binge eating, bulimia, 615
obesity), would lead to a prompt disinhibition and to the concomitant activation of 616
satietogenic brain pathways (cNTS → PBN→ PVN). Moreover, it is worth to mention 617
that under fasting or lipoprivic conditions the systemic CB1R inverse agonist 618
SR141716A modulated feeding by the vagal and sympathetic systems [65]. Another 619
site of action for peripheral eCBs is represented by CB1R-expressing gut cells [40, 620
66]. Interestingly, oral administration of a peripheral CB1R antagonist resulted in a 621
reduction of alcohol intake via a ghrelin-dependent and vagus-mediated mechanism 622
[66]. However, in our reward-driven feeding model, oral administration of AM6545 623
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21
failed to modulate metabolic efficiency as well as to prevent bingeing behavior, thus 624
suggesting that lumen-oriented apical CB1R may not be involved in our mechanism. 625
Intriguingly, recent studies have uncovered that sensory neuropod cells in the gut 626
[67] can synaptically signal with the juxtaposed vagal afferents using, among other 627
possible mediators [68], the fast-acting neurotransmitter glutamate [10]. Whether this 628
specialized gut-to-nerve synapse also mobilizes eCBs, as it occurs at most central 629
excitatory synapses, remains to be determined. In addition, it is important to highlight 630
the key role of peripheral CB1R in adipocytes in the regulation of energy balance 631
[69]. However, whether and how adipocytes may, indeed indirectly, influence the 632
vagal axis is yet unclear. 633
Overall, it would not be hazardous to suggest that peripheral eCBs may impact 634
feeding patterns through different integrative mechanisms which, depending on the 635
location of peripheral CB1R, may strongly modulate distinct hedonic and homeostatic 636
functional outputs. These results call for cell-type and tissue-type-specific strategies 637
to selectively delete CB1R and/or eCBs-producing enzymes in distinct compartments 638
of the gastrointestinal tract and in the neuronal gut-brain axis. 639
To anatomically provide an explanatory gut-to-brain circuit able to support the vagus-640
mediated action of AM6545, we found a stark increase of cFos, a marker of neuronal 641
activity, in key brain regions of the satietogenic neuronal pathway. Importantly, we 642
reveal that blockade of peripheral CB1R signaling resulted in a strong vagus-643
dependent activation of the cNTS as well as of its downstream projecting structures, 644
notably the lPBN and the hypothalamic PVN. This segmented activation of the 645
gut→ brainstem→ hypothalamus path is most likely responsible for the AM6545-646
induced effects on bingeing and energy homeostasis since structure-specific 647
activation of these nodes has been shown to reduce food intake and alters energy 648
homeostasis [43, 70–72]. In addition to this satietogenic path and given the strong 649
reward component of our paradigm, we also uncover that AM6545-mediated vagus 650
activation results in a dampened activation of VTA DA-neurons. However, such effect 651
did not depend on the releasing capabilities of DA-neurons since AM6545 failed to 652
alter amphetamine-evoked locomotor activity. In addition, taking advantage of virally 653
mediated GCaMP6f-mediated in vivo Ca2+ imaging of putative VTA DA-neurons, here 654
we demonstrate that peripheral blockade of CB1R clearly reduced both basal and 655
evoked activity of DA-neurons, a feature resembling some neurochemical effects of 656
vagal nerve stimulation [73, 74]. 657
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22
The VTA is characterized by a highly heterogeneous connectivity [75], and a single 658
and monosynaptic circuit responsible for the inhibition of DA-neurons through the 659
AM6545-activated vagus nerve cannot be selectively sorted out yet. However, 660
several satiety-related structures in the brainstem and hypothalamus are known to 661
project and modulate, directly and/or indirectly, VTA DA-neurons [13, 76–79]. Among 662
these circuits, the PBN → VTA relay is of particular interest since excitatory PBN 663
neurons also largely contact VTA GABA-neurons [78, 80] which in turn may drive the 664
inhibition of VTA DA-neurons and consequent dampening of motivated 665
behaviors. 666
667
Here, we show that DA-dependent adaptations require orchestrated inputs 668
among which peripheral endocannabinoids, through the vagus nerve, allostatically 669
scale the homeostatic and hedonic components of feeding and act as mandatory 670
gatekeepers for adaptive responses of the reward circuit. The gut-brain axis is 671
increasingly incriminated as a key player of the regulation of energy metabolism [81], 672
and we show for the first time that BE is under the control of the vagus-mediated 673
peripheral inputs. Pointing to peripheral eCBs as permissive actors of this eating 674
disorder certainly brings novelty to the clinical investigations aimed at identifying 675
innovative and non-invasive therapeutic strategies. Importantly, this study further 676
points to the gut-brain axis as a privileged target to modulate brain structures that are 677
functionally responsible for processing cognitive and reward events in an integrative 678
manner. 679
In conclusion, while further studies are warranted to fully untangle the key enteric 680
actors responsible for this phenomenon, our study identifies a novel integrative 681
mechanism by which peripheral endocannabinoids through the gut-brain vagal axis 682
gate allostatic feeding by controlling satiety and reward events, thus also paving the 683
way to target peripheral elements for brain disorders. 684
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23
Acknowledgments 685
We thank Chloé Morel, Rim Hassouna, Anne-Sophie Delbes, Daniela Herrera Moro 686
and Raphaël Denis for technical advice and support. Adrien Paquot 687
(BPBL/UCLouvain) is acknowledged for his help with eCB quantification. We thank 688
Olja Kacanski for administrative support, Isabelle Le Parco, Ludovic Mai ngault, 689
Angélique Dauvin, Aurélie Djemat, Florianne Michel, Magguy Boa and Daniel 690
Quintas for animals’ care and Sabria Allithi for genotyping. We acknowledge the 691
technical platform Functional and Physiological Exploration platform (FPE) of the 692
Université de Paris (BFA-UMR 8251) and the animal core facility Buffon of the 693
Université de Paris/Institut Jacques Monod. This work was supported by the Fyssen 694
Foundation, Nutricia Research Foundation, Allen Foundation Inc., Université de Paris 695
and CNRS. CB and EM we re supported by fello wships from the Fondation pour la 696
Recherche Médicale (FRM). Telemetry experiments were supported by the 697
Continuous Glucose Telemetry Award 2018 (Dr. Denis) and sponsored by Data 698
Sciences International. 699
700
Author Contributions 701
C.B. and G.G. conceived, designed, performed and analyzed most of the 702
experiments. J.C. performed surgeries and behavioral experiments. E.M. helped with 703
molecular studies. E.F. performed vagotomy. C.M. helped with fiber photometry 704
experiments. G.G.M. and R.T. analyzed endocannabinoids levels. S.L. provided 705
scientific guidance and critical feedback. G.G. supervised the whole project, 706
interpreted the data and wrote the manuscript with contribution from all coauthors. 707
708
Competing interests 709
The authors declare no competing interests. 710
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24
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29
Figure legends 942
943
Fig. 1: Allostatic adaptations of metabolic efficiency to time-locked access to 944
palatable diet. (A) Experimental design. Control (Ctr) or bingeing animals (Binge) 945
had daily intermittent access to water or a palatable lipids/sucrose mixture for 1 946
hour/day during 10-14 consecutive days. Regular chow pellets were provided ad 947
libitum throughout the entire experiment. ( B) Daily binge consumption (ml) of 948
palatable mixture during a 14-days protocol. Statistics: ***p<0.001 Binge vs Control. 949
(C) 24 hrs locomotor activity in calorimetric chambers (average of 3 consecutive 950
days). Red dotted rectangles indicate the locomotor activity 2-hrs prior and after 951
palatable food access. (C1) Cumulative locomotor activity 2-hrs prior and after 952
palatable food access. Results are expressed as beam breaks (bb). Statistics: 953
*p<0.05 and ***p<0.001 Binge vs Control. (D) Temporal pattern of regular chow food 954
intake (FI, kcal/h) during 24 hrs (average of 3 consecutive days). Statistics: **p<0.01 955
Binge vs Control. (D1) Cumulative chow food intake during the dark period. Statistics: 956
***p<0.001 Binge vs Control. (E) 24 hrs food intake considering all calories: standard 957
diet (SD) and palatable food (PF). Statistics: ***p<0.001 Binge(SD) vs Control(SD), 958
###p<0.001 Binge(SD+PF) vs Binge(SD). ( F) Body weight throughout the 14-days 959
experimental procedure. (G) Longitudinal profile of the respiratory energy ratio (RER) 960
from indirect calorimetry (average of 3 consecutive days) and ( G1) averaged RER 961
values 2-hrs prior and after palatable food access. Statistics: **p<0.01 and 962
***p<0.001 Binge vs Control. (H) Longitudinal profile of energy expenditure (EE) from 963
indirect calorimetry (average of 3 consecutive days) and ( H1) averaged EE values 2-964
hrs prior and after palatable food access. Statistics: *p<0.05 and **p<0.01 Binge vs 965
Control. ( I) Brown adipose tissue (BAT) temperature during bingeing. Statistics: 966
*p<0.05 and **p<0.01 Binge vs Control. ( J) Real-time core temperature recording 967
during 24 hrs and ( J1) averaged values 2-hrs prior and after palatable food access. 968
Statistics: ***p<0.001 Binge vs Control. (K ) Matching locomotor activity from core 969
temperature measurements. Statistics: ***p<0.001 Binge vs Control. For number of 970
mice/group and statistical details see Suppl. Table 1. 971
972
Fig. 2: Binge eating induces dopamine D1R-related molecular modifications . 973
(A, B) Protein quantification of phospho-ERK, S6 S235/236 and S6S240/244 in the DS ( A) 974
and NAc ( B). For immunoblot pictures see Suppl. Fig. 2C. Statistics: *p<0.05, 975
.CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International licenseavailable under a
(which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made
The copyright holder for this preprintthis version posted October 14, 2021. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.11.14.382291doi: bioRxiv preprint
30
**p<0.01 and ***p<0.001, comparisons to control mice. ( C, D) Temporal profile of 976
locomotor activity and cumulative locomotor response (C1 and D1) of animals treated 977
with the dopamine transporter blocker GBR during the anticipatory phase ( C, C1) or 978
1-hour after intermittent access to water (Ctr + GBR) or palatable diet (Binge + GBR) 979
(D, D1). Results are expressed as beam breaks (bb). Statistics: **p<0.01 Binge+GBR 980
vs Control+GBR. ( E) Palatable diet intake after vehicle (Veh+Binge) or D1R 981
antagonist SCH23390 (SCH+Binge) pretreatment. Note: SCH23390 was acutely 982
administered 30 min before binge session. Statistics: ***p<0.001 SCH+Binge vs 983
Veh+Binge. ( F) Palatable diet intake after vehicle (Veh+Binge) or D2R antagonist 984
haloperidol 0.25 mg/kg or 0.5 mg/kg (H 0.25+Binge and H 0.5+Binge) treatment. Note: 985
haloperidol was acutely administered 30 min before binge session. ( G) 986
Immunolabeling of phospho-S6 in the DS and NAc (for immunolabeling images of 987
NAc see Suppl. Fig. 2E) and their associated quantifications (G1, G2, H1, H2) in mice 988
pretreated with SCH23390 or vehicle and exposed to time-locked palatable diet. 989
Scale bar: 50 μ m. Statistics: ***p<0.001 Veh+Binge vs Veh+Control, ###p<0.001 990
SCH+Binge vs Veh+Binge. ( I) Temporal profile of locomotor activity and cumulative 991
locomotor response ( I1) of animals receiving SCH (SCH+Binge) or vehicle 992
(Veh+Binge) (red arrow) and access to palatable diet (black arrow). Statistics: 993
**p<0.01 SCH+Binge vs Veh+Binge. ( J) Cumulative regular chow diet intake 994
following acute SCH23390 (SCH+Binge) or vehicle (Veh+Binge). Statistics: **p<0.01 995
SCH+Binge vs Veh+Binge. (K) Temporal profile of locomotor activity and cumulative 996
locomotor response (2 hrs and 30 min, K1) induced by the D1R agonist SKF81297 997
administered 1 hour after access to time-locked water (Ctr+SKF) or palatable diet 998
(Binge+SKF). Statistics: *p<0.05 and **p<0.01 Binge+SKF vs Control+SKF. For 999
number of mice/group and statistical details see Suppl. Table 1. 1000
1001
Fig. 3: Peripheral endocannabinoids (eCBs) govern binge eating. (A) Palatable 1002
bingeing in animals pretreated (1h prior binge session) with vehicle (Veh), leptin, 1003
insulin, GLP1 agonists exendin-4 (Exe4) and liraglutide (Lira), CCK octapeptide 1004
sulfated (CCK-8S) or CB1R inverse agonist AM251. Aside leptin (2 injections/day for 1005
2 consecutive days, Suppl. Fig. 3A, B), drugs were administered acutely. Statistics: 1006
***p<0.001 Exe4-, Lira-, CCK-8S- & AM251-treated Bingeing mice vs Veh+Binge 1007
mice, ###p<0.001 AM251-treated vs Exe4-, Lira & CCK-8S-treated bingeing mice. (B) 1008
Dosage of peripheral and circulating endocannabinoids: anandamide (AEA), 1009
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31
diacylglycerol (2-AG), docosahexanoyl ethanolamide (DHEA) and 1010
oleoylethanolamide (OEA) 1 hour before and after palatable bingeing. ( C) Palatable 1011
bingeing in mice (3 males and females/group) pre-treated with a single i.p. injection 1012
of vehicle (Veh), peripheral CB1R antagonist AM6545 (10 mg/kg) and peripheral 1013
CB1R inverse agonist JD-5037 (3 mg/kg). Statistics: ***p<0.001 AM6545 and JD-1014
5037 vs Veh-Binge. (D) Palatable bingeing in mice pre-treated with a single i.p. 1015
injection of vehicle (Veh), peripheral CB1R antagonist AM6545 (10 mg/kg), and/or 1016
monoacylglycerol lipase inhibitor JZL184 (8 mg/kg). Statistics: ***p<0.001 AM6545, 1017
JZL184, AM6545+JZL184 vs Veh-Binge. ( E) Chronic (4 days) administration of 1018
JZL184 and AM6545 on palatable bingeing. Statistics: ***p<0.001 AM6545-Binge vs 1019
Veh-Binge, ###p<0.001 JZL184-Binge vs Veh-Binge. (F ) Effects of acute AM6545 on 1020
core temperature. Statistics: **p<0.01 AM6545-Binge vs Veh-Binge. Note: black and 1021
red arrows indicate administration of AM6545 and palatable food access, 1022
respectively. (G) Immunolabeling and quantifications of phospho-S6 and cFos in the 1023
DS and NAc of control or bingeing animals (males and females) acutely pretreated 1024
with Veh or AM6545. Scale bars: 50 μ m. Statistics: ***p<0.001 and *p<0.005 1025
Veh+Binge or AM6545+Binge vs Ctr, ###p<0.001 AM6545+Binge vs Veh+Binge. (H) 1026
Longitudinal measurement of fatty acid oxidation (FAO) following administration of 1027
AM6545 during a Binge session and a NoBinge session. ( H1) Averaged FAO from 1028
time of injection (11h00) till the end of light phase (19h00). ( H2) Ratio of FAO and 1029
food intake (FI) to discriminate between the effect of AM6545 and calories intake. 1030
Statistics: ***p<0.001 AM6545 vs Veh (in both Binge and NoBinge sessions). ( I) 1031
Palatable bingeing after acute oral gavage of AM6545 (10 mg/kg, p.o.) and (J) 1032
associated fatty acid oxidation. ( K, L) Immunolabeling and quantifications of cFos in 1033
the cNTS/AP regions ( K) and in the lPBN (L ) of control or bingeing animals (males 1034
and females) acutely pretreated with Veh or AM6545. Scale bars: 250 μ m. Statistics: 1035
***p<0.001, **p<0.01 and *p<0.005 Veh+Binge or AM6545+Binge vs Ctr, ###p<0.001 1036
AM6545+Binge vs Veh+Binge. For number of mice/group and statistical details see 1037
Suppl. Table 1. 1038
1039
Fig. 4: The gut-brain vagal axis is required for eCBs-mediated effects. (A) The 1040
scheme indicates gut-originated afferent paths that were virally targeted to perform 1041
single-cell transcriptomic analysis [9]. ( B) Enrichment of different vagal markers 1042
(SLC17a6, Scn10a, Htr3a, Cartpt, Grin1, Phox2b) and comparison with Cnr1 and 1043
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32
Cnr2 in sensory vagal neurons labeled from microinjections in the stomach, proximal 1044
and middle intestines. Note: for other gut-brain vagal segments see Suppl. Fig. 3H, 1045
I. (C) Palatable food consumption in sham and vagotomized (VGX) animals pre-1046
treated with Veh (Day 10) or JZL184 (Day 11-14) 2-hrs before bingeing sessions. 1047
Statistics: ***p<0.001 Sham+JZL184 vs Sham+Veh, ###p<0.001 VGX+JZL184 vs 1048
Sham+JZL184. (D) cFos immunolabeling in the area postrema (AP), caudal nucleus 1049
tractus solitarius (cNTS), lateral parabrachial nucleus (lPBN) and medial parabrachial 1050
nucleus (mPBN) in sham and vagotomized animals treated with the peripheral CB1R 1051
antagonist AM6545 (10 mg/kg). Scale bars: 250 μ m. ( D1) Scheme indicates the 1052
central vagus → cNTS→ PBN→ target regions path in sham and VGX mice. (D 2) 1053
Quantification of cFos-positive neurons in the AP, cNTS and lPBN in sham and VGX 1054
mice injected with AM6545. Statistics: ***p<0.001 VGX+AM6545 vs Sham+AM6545. 1055
(E) Palatable bingeing in sham and vagotomized (VGX) animals pre-treated with 1056
AM6545 (A) or vehicle (V), and associated measurements of fatty acid oxidation ( F, 1057
F1 and G, G 1). Statistics: ***p<0.001 Sham+AM6545 vs Sham+Veh. (H, I ) cFos 1058
immunolabeling in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and dorsomedial nucleus of the 1059
hypothalamus (DMH) of sham or VGX animals acutely treated with vehicle or 1060
AM5646 and associated counting. Scale bars: 250 μ m. Statistics: ***p<0.001 1061
Sham+AM6545 vs Veh, ###p<0.001 VGX+AM6545 vs Sham+AM6545. For number of 1062
mice/group and statistical details see Suppl. Table 1. 1063
1064
Fig. 5: Peripheral CB1R signaling modulates dopamine dynamics. (A, A1) Effect 1065
of AM6545 or Veh on GBR-induced locomotor activity (beam breaks, bb). Statistics: 1066
**p<0.01 AM6545+GBR vs Veh+GBR. ( B, B 1) Effect of JD-5037 or Veh on GBR-1067
induced locomotor activity. Statistics: **p<0.01, *p<0.05 AM6545+GBR vs Veh+GBR. 1068
(C) Effect of AM6545 on GBR-triggered cFos expression in the striatum. Scale bar: 1069
50 μm. Statistics: ***p<0.001 AM6545+GBR vs Veh+GBR. ( D) Longitudinal profile 1070
and heat maps of GBR-induced accumbal DA accumulation (dLight1.2) in mice pre-1071
treated with Veh or AM6545 1h before GBR12909 (red arrow). ( D1) Quantification of 1072
bulk fluorescence (AUC) in Veh+GBR and AM6545+GBR groups. Statistics: 1073
***p<0.001 AM6545+GBR vs Veh+GBR. (E) Cumulative locomotor activity response 1074
in mice pretreated with vehicle (Veh+Amph) or AM6545 (AM6545+Amph). For 1075
temporal locomotor activity see Suppl. Fig. 6A. ( F) Cumulative locomotor activity 1076
response in mice pretreated with vehicle (Veh+Amph) or AM251 (AM251+Amph). 1077
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Statistics: ***p<0.001 AM251+Amph vs Veh+Amph. ( G) GBR-induced locomotor 1078
activity, cumulative locomotor response ( G1) in VGX mice pretreated with vehicle 1079
(VGX/Veh+GBR) or AM6545 (VGX/AM6545+GBR). ( H) Cumulative locomotor 1080
response in mice pretreated with oral gavage (po) of vehicle (Veh (po)+GBR) or 1081
AM6545 (AM6545 (po)+GBR). For temporal locomotor activity see Suppl. Fig. 6B. 1082
1083
Fig. 6: Peripheral CB1R signaling routed by the vagus nerve controls VTA DA-1084
neurons activity. (A) Expression of GCaMP6f in VTA DA-neurons of virally injected 1085
Drd2-Cre mice. Please, note ( i) colocalization with TH and GCaMP6f-positive 1086
neurons and (ii) projecting terminals in the DS and NAc. See also, Suppl. Fig. 6C for 1087
TH expression in the VTA of Drd2 -eGFP mice. (B ) Behavioral paradigms used to 1088
trigger the activity of VTA DA-neurons: tail suspension and exposure to a new 1089
environment (NE). [For validation of in vivo recording of Ca2+ transients in VTA D2R-1090
(DA)-neurons see Suppl. Fig. 6D, E ]. (C, D) Temporal dynamics and corresponding 1091
heat maps of DA-neurons activity during the during the tail suspension test ( C) and 1092
exposure to a new environment ( D). Statistics: *p<0.05, **p<0.01 AM6545 vs Veh. 1093
(E) Immobility time (sec) of sham and VGX mice acutely pretreated with Veh or 1094
AM6545 1 hour before tail suspension (6 min). ( F) Effect of AM6545 or Veh in sham 1095
and VGX mice on novel environment-induced locomotor activity. ( F1) Cumulative 1096
locomotor activity response in sham and VGX mice pretreated with vehicle or 1097
AM6545. Statistics: **p<0.01 Sham/AM6545 vs Sham/Veh. (G) Cumulative locomotor 1098
activity response in sham and VGX mice pretreated with vehicle or AM251. Statistics: 1099
**p<0.01 Sham+AM251 vs Sham+Veh, and ##p<0.01 VGX+AM251 vs VGX+AM251. 1100
For number of mice/group and statistical details see Suppl. Table 1. 1101
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(which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made
The copyright holder for this preprintthis version posted October 14, 2021. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.11.14.382291doi: bioRxiv preprint
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