Bifenthrin Induces Fat Deposition by Improving Fatty Acid Uptake and Inhibiting Lipolysis in Mice

Chemical residues in the environment are considered to
be important
factors that cause obesity. Bifenthrin is one of the pyrethroid pesticides
and is widely used worldwide. However, its effect on adipose tissue
is ill-defined. Here, we administered bifenthrin/corn oil to adult
C57BL/6 mice by gavage. After 6 weeks, the bifenthrin treatment significantly
increased their body weight (P = 0.015) and fat mass
(P < 0.001). Then we identified 246 differently
expressed proteins by proteomic analysis, and they were highly involved
in fatty acid uptake and lipid metabolism processes. Interestingly,
protein hormone-sensitive lipase and adipose triacylglyceride lipase
were downregulated while lipoprotein lipase is upregulated after bifenthrin
treatment. Similar effects in 3T3-L1 cells treated with bifenthrin
validated the in vivo results. Thus, this study suggests that long-term
exposure to low-dose bifenthrin induces fat deposition in mice by
improving fatty acid uptake and inhibiting lipolysis, and it may cause
obesity in humans.