Mirabegron and Cold Water Tolerance
Abstract
Many Navy diving operations are performed in cold water. Despite technical advances to improve thermal protection for cold water diving, these applications are cumbersome and do not provide complete thermal protection as thermal discomfort is subjectively reported by many Navy divers. Brown adipose tissue is highly thermogenic in humans. Therefore, activation of brown adipose tissue might improve cold water tolerance and thermal discomfort during cold water diving operations. Mirabegron is a beta-3-adrenergic receptor agonist that is used to treat overactive bladder. Beta-3-adrenergic receptors are located on the urinary bladder, gallbladder and brownadipose tissue. Recent evidence has demonstrated that acute mirabegron administration increases thermogenesis for ~3 hours in humans. However, it is currently not known which dose of mirabegron can increase thermogenesis for longer durations. It is also not knownif mirabegron administration can improve cold water tolerance and thermal discomfort during cold water immersion. Finally, it is not known if mirabegron can increase thermogenesis during sympathetic stimulation. Our project will fill these knowledge gaps by addressing these specific aims: 1) determine which dose of mirabegron administration will increase thermogenesis during 6 hours of a mildcold stress challenge, 2) determine if acute mirabegron administration will delay the fall in core temperature and the onset of shivering during a progressive cold-water immersion challenge, and 3) compare the dose of isoproterenol required to evoke a thermogenicresponse equal to a 15% increase above rest, following ingestion of either mirabegron or a placebo. Collectively, these studies will show if mirabegron is a potential ergogenic aid that can be used to improve cold water tolerance in Navy divers which will ultimately improve the likelihood of successful missions.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- May 05, 2021
- Source ID
- N000142112276
Entities
People
- Blair D Johnson
Organizations
- Indiana University
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy