Body temperature regulates glucose metabolism and torpid behavior

Abstract Glucose is a significant energy resource for maintaining physiological activities, including body temperature homeostasis, and glucose homeostasis is tightly regulated in mammals. Although ambient temperature tunes glucose metabolism to maintain euthermia, the significance of body temperatu...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ming-Liang Lee, Ching-Pu Chang, Chitoku Toda, Tomomi Nemoto, Ryosuke Enoki
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-07-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61499-2
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849764251569225728
author Ming-Liang Lee
Ching-Pu Chang
Chitoku Toda
Tomomi Nemoto
Ryosuke Enoki
author_facet Ming-Liang Lee
Ching-Pu Chang
Chitoku Toda
Tomomi Nemoto
Ryosuke Enoki
author_sort Ming-Liang Lee
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Glucose is a significant energy resource for maintaining physiological activities, including body temperature homeostasis, and glucose homeostasis is tightly regulated in mammals. Although ambient temperature tunes glucose metabolism to maintain euthermia, the significance of body temperature in metabolic regulation remains unclear owing to strict thermoregulation. Activation of Qrfp neurons in the preoptic area induced a harmless hypothermic state known as Q-neuron–induced hypothermia and hypometabolism (QIH), which is suitable for studying glucose metabolism under hypothermia. In this study, we observed that QIH mice had hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance. This glucose hypometabolic state was abolished by increasing the body temperature to euthermia. Moreover, QIH-mediated inappetence and locomotor inactivity were recovered in euthermia QIH mice. These results indicate that body temperature is considerably more powerful than ambient temperature in regulating glucose metabolism and behavior, and the glucose hypometabolism in QIH is secondary to hypothermia rather than modulated by Qrfp neurons.
format Article
id doaj-art-b68bf2c9d313457f9f8d1002d12c48b5
institution DOAJ
issn 2041-1723
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Nature Portfolio
record_format Article
series Nature Communications
spelling doaj-art-b68bf2c9d313457f9f8d1002d12c48b52025-08-20T03:05:10ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-07-0116111510.1038/s41467-025-61499-2Body temperature regulates glucose metabolism and torpid behaviorMing-Liang Lee0Ching-Pu Chang1Chitoku Toda2Tomomi Nemoto3Ryosuke Enoki4Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS)Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS)Department of Neuroscience for Metabolic Control, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto UniversityExploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS)Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS)Abstract Glucose is a significant energy resource for maintaining physiological activities, including body temperature homeostasis, and glucose homeostasis is tightly regulated in mammals. Although ambient temperature tunes glucose metabolism to maintain euthermia, the significance of body temperature in metabolic regulation remains unclear owing to strict thermoregulation. Activation of Qrfp neurons in the preoptic area induced a harmless hypothermic state known as Q-neuron–induced hypothermia and hypometabolism (QIH), which is suitable for studying glucose metabolism under hypothermia. In this study, we observed that QIH mice had hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance. This glucose hypometabolic state was abolished by increasing the body temperature to euthermia. Moreover, QIH-mediated inappetence and locomotor inactivity were recovered in euthermia QIH mice. These results indicate that body temperature is considerably more powerful than ambient temperature in regulating glucose metabolism and behavior, and the glucose hypometabolism in QIH is secondary to hypothermia rather than modulated by Qrfp neurons.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61499-2
spellingShingle Ming-Liang Lee
Ching-Pu Chang
Chitoku Toda
Tomomi Nemoto
Ryosuke Enoki
Body temperature regulates glucose metabolism and torpid behavior
Nature Communications
title Body temperature regulates glucose metabolism and torpid behavior
title_full Body temperature regulates glucose metabolism and torpid behavior
title_fullStr Body temperature regulates glucose metabolism and torpid behavior
title_full_unstemmed Body temperature regulates glucose metabolism and torpid behavior
title_short Body temperature regulates glucose metabolism and torpid behavior
title_sort body temperature regulates glucose metabolism and torpid behavior
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61499-2
work_keys_str_mv AT minglianglee bodytemperatureregulatesglucosemetabolismandtorpidbehavior
AT chingpuchang bodytemperatureregulatesglucosemetabolismandtorpidbehavior
AT chitokutoda bodytemperatureregulatesglucosemetabolismandtorpidbehavior
AT tomominemoto bodytemperatureregulatesglucosemetabolismandtorpidbehavior
AT ryosukeenoki bodytemperatureregulatesglucosemetabolismandtorpidbehavior