Effect of Peripheral Kisspeptin Administration on Adiponectin, Leptin, and Resistin Secretion Under Fed and Fasting Conditions in the Adult Male Rhesus Monkey (Macaca mulatta)

In the last few years, kisspeptin-KISS1R signaling has appeared as a major regulator of the reproductive function in several vertebrate species. However, KISS1 (encoding kisspeptin) and its putative receptor, KISS1R, are expressed in several other tissues. Adipose tissue, which secretes many peptides with diverse functions in normal physiology, expresses Kiss1, which is modulated by gonadal steroids as well as by body nutritional status. Similarly, Kiss1r expression is also found in adipose tissue, but the local role of kisspeptin in adipocyte function is currently unknown. Therefore, in the present study the effects of exogenous human kisspeptin-10 (KP10) were studied on three important adipokines, namely, adiponectin, leptin, and resistin in a set of four chair-restraint habituated intact adult male rhesus monkeys under; 1) normal fed conditions, 2) 24-h fasting conditions, and 3) 48-h fasting conditions. Plasma resistin and leptin levels decreased (p < 0.01), whereas adiponectin levels increased (p < 0.05) in fasted monkeys. Kisspeptin administration significantly increased (p < 0.05) mean plasma adiponectin levels under fed and 24-h fasting conditions as compared to pretreatment or vehicle- treatment levels. A stimulatory effect was also observed on the 48-h fasting stimulated plasma adiponectin levels, but it lacked statistical significance. In contrast, no effect of kisspeptin was observed on mean plasma leptin and resistin levels. Thus, the present study demonstrated a stimulatory effect of peripheral kisspeptin administration on the plasma adiponectin levels under fed and 24-h fasting conditions in the adult male rhesus monkey. These findings, therefore, assign a novel role to kisspeptin, a regulator of adipocyte function in higher primate.