Weight Gain and Body Composition in Lithium Treated Rats

Abstract

Long-term lithium treated growing animals given 0.8-2.0 mmol/kg/day had a slightly hut significantly faster weight gain than control animals. Greater doses did not give rise to significantly increased weight gain. Body composition, i.e., the percentage of water, fat, ash and "protein" was not affected in the faster growing lithium treated animals. The wet weight and the weight after drying of the stomach (with content) was increased shortly (hours) after the acute administration of lithium. The duration of the effect depended on the dose given. The weight of the large Intestine was also increased after a dose of lithium, but only after some days of lithium pretreatment and mainly the wet weight. The effect was small but similar on the small intestine. In long-term lithium treated rats did the faecal weight and volume increase mainly due to increased water content, but only after some days of lithium treatment.

The Distribution of a Glucose Load in Lithium Treated Rats

“…If the increased glucose disposal rate, as suggested by Vendsborg & Rafaelsen (1973), plays a role in the lithium induced weight gain, it does not seem to be primarily due to changes in fat tissue metabolism. This is in accordance with the unchanged amount of fat tissue found in growing animals with lithium induced weight gain (Vendsborg 1980).…”

Lithium induces intestinothrophic effects in the healthy colon, but does not ameliorate dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in mice

“…This is in agreement with earlier reports, which found a significantly increased weight of the gastrointestinal tract of rats that were treated with lithium (0.14e0.21 mEq/l). 18,19 In studies using another activator of Wnt, Rspo1, an elongation of the intestine and an increase in intestinal weight was observed in female Balb/c mice. 4,5 At the same time, Rspo1 treatment increased the crypt depth of the colon, goblet cell number (both at day 7) 4 and cytosolic b-catenin staining (6 h after injection), 5 indicating active Wnt-signaling, compared to controls.…”