In the rat, tumor necrosis factor α administration results in an increase in both UCP2 and UCP3 mRNAs in skeletal muscle: a possible mechanism for cytokine‐induced thermogenesis?

Since the discovery of the new members of the UCP (uncoupling protein) family, UCP2 and UCP3, very few studies have dealt with the regulation of their expression. Bearing this in mind, administration of a single intravenous injection of TNF-alpha (100 microg/kg body weight) to rats resulted in a significant increase in UCP2 (242%) and UCP3 (113%) gene expression in skeletal muscle. The results suggest a possible role for UCP2 and UCP3 in the increase of energy expenditure associated with cytokine treatment.