Data from: Life in the fat lane: seasonal regulation of insulin sensitivity, food intake, and adipose biology in brown bears ...

• Main Authors: Rigano, Kimberly S., Gehring, Jamie L., Evans Hutzenbiler, Brandon D., Chen, Annie V., Nelson, O. Lynne, Vella, Chantal A., Robbins, Charles T., Jansen, Heiko T.
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2016
• Subjects: Adiponectin; Ursus arctos horribilis; Insulin; bear; Leptin; Ursus arctos
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.sc38b; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.sc38b

Grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) have evolved remarkable metabolic adaptations including enormous fat accumulation during the active season followed by fasting during hibernation. However, these fluctuations in body mass do not cause the same harmful effects associated with obesity in humans. To better understand these seasonal transitions, we performed insulin and glucose tolerance tests in captive grizzly bears, characterized the annual profiles of circulating adipokines, and tested the anorectic effects of centrally administered leptin at different times of the year. We also used bear gluteal adipocyte cultures to test insulin and beta-adrenergic sensitivity in vitro. Bears were insulin resistant during hibernation but were sensitive during the spring and fall active periods. Hibernating bears remained euglycemic, possibly due to hyperinsulinemia and hyperglucagonemia. Adipokine concentrations were relatively low throughout the active season but peaked in mid-October prior to hibernation when fat ... : Data to accompany Rigano et. al. (2016) J.Comp.Physiol, Bdata to accompany manuscriptRigano_etal_JCPB_2016.zip ...