Short-Term Temperature Impact on Mouse Metabolism

Ambient housing temperature significantly influences physiological and metabolic processes, potentially impacting obesity and related disorders. This study investigated the short-term impact of three housing temperatures (22°C Room Temp (RT), 8°C Cold exposure (CE), and 30°C Thermoneutral Temp (TN)) on mouse metabolism. Four weeks of CE in female mice led to increased body weight due to higher lean mass and reduced fat mass, along with elevated food intake. Male mice exposed to CE for one week showed reduced fat mass without significant body weight changes but had increased food intake. No significant differences in energy expenditure or glucose tolerance were observed in both males or females. CE resulted in smaller adipocytes in WAT and enhanced BAT vascularization in adipose tissue. Differential expression of proteins in iWAT was observed, with CE and TN housing altering the proteome in both male and female mice, affecting pathways related to mitochondrial dysfunction and mTOR signaling. Despite these proteomic changes, no significant differences in the respiratory capacity of adipose tissues were detected. The study underscores the nuanced impact of housing temperature on metabolism, suggesting that ambient housing temperature modulates adipose tissue dynamics and and could influence metabolism. Further research with longer exposure and larger sample sizes is needed to explore these effects in detail.