The regulation of food intake, body weight and energy homeostasis

2007 ◽  
Vol 135 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 62
Author(s):  
Stephen C. Woods
2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 516-522
Author(s):  
Néstor F. Díaz ◽  
Héctor Flores-Herrera ◽  
Guadalupe García-López ◽  
Anayansi Molina-Hernández

The brain histaminergic system plays a pivotal role in energy homeostasis, through H1- receptor activation, it increases the hypothalamic release of histamine that decreases food intake and reduces body weight. One way to increase the release of hypothalamic histamine is through the use of antagonist/inverse agonist for the H3-receptor. Histamine H3-receptors are auto-receptors and heteroreceptors located on the presynaptic membranes and cell soma of neurons, where they negatively regulate the synthesis and release of histamine and other neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. Although several compounds acting as H3-receptor antagonist/inverse agonists have been developed, conflicting results have been reported and only one has been tested as anti-obesity in humans. Animal studies revealed the opposite effect in food intake, energy expeditor, and body weight, depending on the drug, spice, and route of administration, among others. The present review will explore the state of art on the effects of H3-receptor ligands on appetite and body-weight, going through the following: a brief overview of the circuit involved in the control of food intake and energy homeostasis, the participation of the histaminergic system in food intake and body weight, and the H3-receptor as a potential therapeutic target for obesity.


2018 ◽  
Vol 315 (1) ◽  
pp. E29-E37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariana Peduti Halah ◽  
Paula Beatriz Marangon ◽  
Jose Antunes-Rodrigues ◽  
Lucila L. K. Elias

Neonatal nutritional changes induce long-lasting effects on energy homeostasis. Adiponectin influences food intake and body weight. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of neonatal nutritional programming on the central stimulation of adiponectin. Male Wistar rats were divided on postnatal (PN) day 3 in litters of 3 (small litter, SL), 10 (normal litter, NL), or 16 pups/dam (large litter, LL). We assessed body weight gain for 60 days, adiponectin concentration, and white adipose tissue weight. We examined the response of SL, NL, and LL rats on body weight gain, food intake, oxygen consumption (V̇o2), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), calorimetry, locomotor activity, phosphorylated-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) expression in the hypothalamus, and uncoupling protein (UCP)-1 in the brown adipose tissue after central stimulus with adiponectin. After weaning, SL rats maintained higher body weight gain despite similar food intake compared with NL rats. LL rats showed lower body weight at weaning, with a catch up afterward and higher food intake. Both LL and SL groups had decreased plasma concentrations of adiponectin at PN60. SL rats had increased white adipose tissue. Central injection of adiponectin decreased body weight and food intake and increased V̇o2, RER, calorimetry, p-AMPK and UCP- 1 expression in NL rats, but it had no effect on SL and LL rats, compared with the respective vehicle groups. In conclusion, neonatal under- and overfeeding induced an increase in body weight gain in juvenile and early adult life. Unresponsiveness to central effects of adiponectin contributes to the imbalance of the energy homeostasis in adult life induced by neonatal nutritional programming.


2006 ◽  
Vol 361 (1471) ◽  
pp. 1219-1235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen C Woods ◽  
Thomas A Lutz ◽  
Nori Geary ◽  
Wolfgang Langhans

The control of food intake and body weight by the brain relies upon the detection and integration of signals reflecting energy stores and fluxes, and their interaction with many different inputs related to food palatability and gastrointestinal handling as well as social, emotional, circadian, habitual and other situational factors. This review focuses upon the role of hormones secreted by the endocrine pancreas: hormones, which individually and collectively influence food intake, with an emphasis upon insulin, glucagon and amylin. Insulin and amylin are co-secreted by B-cells and provide a signal that reflects both circulating energy in the form of glucose and stored energy in the form of visceral adipose tissue. Insulin acts directly at the liver to suppress the synthesis and secretion of glucose, and some plasma insulin is transported into the brain and especially the mediobasal hypothalamus where it elicits a net catabolic response, particularly reduced food intake and loss of body weight. Amylin reduces meal size by stimulating neurons in the hindbrain, and there is evidence that amylin additionally functions as an adiposity signal controlling body weight as well as meal size. Glucagon is secreted from A-cells and increases glucose secretion from the liver. Glucagon acts in the liver to reduce meal size, the signal being relayed to the brain via the vagus nerves. To summarize, hormones of the endocrine pancreas are collectively at the crossroads of many aspects of energy homeostasis. Glucagon and amylin act in the short term to reduce meal size, and insulin sensitizes the brain to short-term meal-generated satiety signals; and insulin and perhaps amylin as well act over longer intervals to modulate the amount of fat maintained and defended by the brain. Hormones of the endocrine pancreas interact with receptors at many points along the gut–brain axis, from the liver to the sensory vagus nerve to the hindbrain to the hypothalamus; and their signals are conveyed both neurally and humorally. Finally, their actions include gastrointestinal and metabolic as well as behavioural effects.


2006 ◽  
Vol 190 (2) ◽  
pp. 515-525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony P Coll ◽  
Martin Fassnacht ◽  
Steffen Klammer ◽  
Stephanie Hahner ◽  
Dominik M Schulte ◽  
...  

Pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) is a polypeptide precursor that undergoes extensive processing to yield a range of peptides with biologically diverse functions. POMC-derived ACTH is vital for normal adrenal function and the melanocortin α-MSH plays a key role in appetite control and energy homeostasis. However, the roles of peptide fragments derived from the highly conserved N-terminal region of POMC are less well characterized. We have used mice with a null mutation in the Pomc gene (Pomc−/−) to determine the in vivo effects of synthetic N-terminal 1–28 POMC, which has been shown previously to possess adrenal mitogenic activity. 1–28 POMC (20 μg) given s.c. for 10 days had no effect on the adrenal cortex of Pomc−/− mice, with resultant cortical morphology and plasma corticosterone levels being indistinguishable from sham treatment. Concurrent administration of 1–28 POMC and 1–24 ACTH (30 μg/day) resulted in changes identical to 1–24 ACTH treatment alone, which consisted of upregulation of steroidogenic enzymes, elevation of corticosterone levels, hypertrophy of the zona fasciculate, and regression of the X-zone. However, treatment of corticosterone-depleted Pomc−/− mice with 1–28 POMC reduced cumulative food intake and total body weight. These anorexigenic effects were ameliorated when the peptide was administered to Pomc−/− mice with circulating corticosterone restored either to a low physiological level by corticosterone-supplemented drinking water (CORT) or to a supraphysiological level by concurrent 1–24 ACTH administration. Further, i.c.v. administration of 1–28 POMC to CORT-treated Pomc−/− mice had no effect on food intake or body weight. In wild-type mice, the effects of 1–28 POMC upon food intake and body weight were identical to sham treatment, but 1–28 POMC was able to ameliorate the hyperphagia induced by concurrent 1–24 ACTH treatment. In a mouse model which lacks all endogenous POMC peptides, s.c. treatment with synthetic 1–28 POMC alone can reduce food intake and body weight, but has no impact upon adrenal growth or steroidogenesis.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Henrique Marques Gonçalves ◽  
Sabrina Mara Tristão ◽  
Rafaella Eduarda Volpi ◽  
Gislaine Almeida-Pereira ◽  
Beatriz de Carvalho Borges ◽  
...  

Leptin plays an important role in the protection against diet-induced obesity (DIO) by its actions in ventromedial hypothalamic (VMH) neurons. However, little is known about the intracellular mechanisms involved in these effects. To assess the role of the STAT3 and ERK2 signaling in neurons that express the steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1) in the VMH on energy homeostasis, we used cre-lox technology to generate male and female mice with specific disruption of STAT3 or ERK2 in SF1 neurons of the VMH. We demonstrated that the conditional knockout of STAT3 in SF1 neurons of the VMH did not affect body weight, food intake, energy expenditure and glucose homeostasis in animals on regular chow. However, when challenged with high-fat diet (HFD), loss of STAT3 in SF1 neurons caused a significant increase in body weight, food intake and energy efficiency that was more remarkable in females which also showed a decrease in energy expenditure. In contrast, deletion of ERK2 in SF1 neurons of VMH did not have any impact on energy homeostasis in both regular diet and HFD conditions. In conclusion, STAT3 but not ERK2 signaling in SF1 neurons of VMH plays a crucial role to protect against DIO in a sex-specific pattern.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucas Zangerolamo ◽  
Carina Solon ◽  
Gabriela M. Soares ◽  
Daiane F. Engel ◽  
Licio A. Velloso ◽  
...  

AbstractAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder and the most common cause of dementia. While cognitive deficits remain the major manifestation of AD, metabolic and non-cognitive abnormalities, such as alterations in food intake, body weight and energy balance are also present, both in AD patients and animal models. In this sense, the tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) has shown beneficial effects both in reducing the central and cognitive markers of AD, as well as in attenuating the metabolic disorders associated with it. We previously demonstrated that TUDCA improves glucose homeostasis and decreases the main AD neuromarkers in the streptozotocin-induced AD mouse model (Stz). Besides that, TUDCA-treated Stz mice showed lower body weight and adiposity. Here, we investigated the actions of TUDCA involved in the regulation of body weight and adiposity in Stz mice, since the effects of TUDCA in hypothalamic appetite control and energy homeostasis have not yet been explored in an AD mice model. The TUDCA-treated mice (Stz + TUDCA) displayed lower food intake, higher energy expenditure (EE) and respiratory quotient. In addition, we observed in the hypothalamus of the Stz + TUDCA mice reduced fluorescence and gene expression of inflammatory markers, as well as normalization of the orexigenic neuropeptides AgRP and NPY expression. Moreover, leptin-induced p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 signaling in the hypothalamus of Stz + TUDCA mice was improved, accompanied by reduced acute food intake after leptin stimulation. Taken together, we demonstrate that TUDCA treatment restores energy metabolism in Stz mice, a phenomenon that is associated with reduced food intake, increased EE and improved hypothalamic leptin signaling. These findings suggest treatment with TUDCA as a promising therapeutic intervention for the control of energy homeostasis in AD individuals.


2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 404-405
Author(s):  
Hong Chen ◽  
Beatriz Dardik ◽  
Ling Qiu ◽  
Xianglin Ren ◽  
Shari L. Caplan ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Cevoglitazar is a dual agonist for the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-α and -γ subtypes. Dual activation of PPARα and -γ is a therapeutic approach in development for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus and diabetic dyslipidemia. In this report, we show that, in addition to improving insulin sensitivity and lipid metabolism like other dual PPAR agonists, cevoglitazar also elicits beneficial effects on energy homeostasis in two animal models of obesity. In leptin-deficient ob/ob mice, administration of cevoglitazar at 0.5, 1, or 2 mg/kg for 18 d led to acute and sustained, dose-dependent reduction of food intake and body weight. Furthermore, plasma levels of glucose and insulin were normalized after 7 d of cevoglitazar treatment at 0.5 mg/kg. Plasma levels of free fatty acids and triglycerides were dose-dependently reduced. In obese and insulin-resistant cynomolgus monkeys, treatment with cevoglitazar at 50 and 500 μg/kg for 4 wk lowered food intake and body weight in a dose-dependent manner. In these animals, cevoglitazar also reduced fasting plasma insulin and, at the highest dose, reduced hemoglobin A1c levels by 0.4%. These preclinical results demonstrate that cevoglitazar holds promise for the treatment of diabetes and obesity-related disorders because of its unique beneficial effect on energy balance in addition to improving glycemic and metabolic control.


2000 ◽  
Vol 279 (2) ◽  
pp. R695-R703 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie E. McMinn ◽  
Charles W. Wilkinson ◽  
Peter J. Havel ◽  
Stephen C. Woods ◽  
Michael W. Schwartz

α-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) is a hypothalamic neuropeptide proposed to play a key role in energy homeostasis. To investigate the behavioral, metabolic, and hypothalamic responses to chronic central α-MSH administration, α-MSH was infused continuously into the third cerebral ventricle of rats for 6 days. Chronic α-MSH infusion reduced cumulative food intake by 10.7% ( P < 0.05 vs. saline) and body weight by 4.3% ( P < 0.01 vs. saline), which in turn lowered plasma insulin levels by 29.3% ( P < 0.05 vs. saline). However, α-MSH did not cause adipose-specific wasting nor did it alter hypothalamic neuropeptide mRNA levels. Central α-MSH infusion acutely activated neurons in forebrain areas such as the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus, as measured by a 254% increase in c-Fos-like immunoreactivity ( P < 0.01 vs. saline), as well as satiety pathways in the hindbrain. Our findings suggest that, although an increase of central melanocortin receptor signaling acutely reduces food intake and body weight, its anorectic potency wanes during chronic infusion and causes only a modest decrease of body weight.


Endocrinology ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 144 (8) ◽  
pp. 3547-3554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takayuki Masaki ◽  
Go Yoshimichi ◽  
Seiichi Chiba ◽  
Tohru Yasuda ◽  
Hitoshi Noguchi ◽  
...  

Abstract To examine the functional role of CRH in the regulation of energy homeostasis by leptin, we measured the effects of the CRH antagonist, α-helical CRH 8–41 (αCRH) on a number of factors affected by leptin activity. These included food intake, body weight, hypothalamic c-fos-like immunoreactivity (c-FLI), weight and histological characterization of white adipose tissue, and mRNA expressions of uncoupling protein (UCP) in brown adipose tissue (BAT) in C57Bl/6 mice. Central infusion of leptin into the lateral cerebroventricle (icv) caused significant induction of c-FLI in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN), ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH), dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus, and arcuate nucleus. In all these nuclei, the effect of leptin on expression of cFLI in the PVN and VMH was decreased by treatment with αCRH. Administration of leptin markedly decreased cumulative food intake and body weight with this effect being attenuated by pretreatment with αCRH. In peripheral tissue, leptin up-regulated BAT UCP1 mRNA expression and reduced fat depositions in this tissue. Those changes in BAT were also decreased by treatment with αCRH. As a consequence of the effects on food intake or energy expenditure, treatment with αCRH attenuated the leptin-induced reduction of body adiposity, fat cell size, triglyceride contents, and ob mRNA expression in white adipose tissue. Taken together, these results indicate that CRH neurons in the PVN and VMH may be an important mediator for leptin that contribute to regulation of feeding, adiposity, and UCP expression.


2010 ◽  
Vol 298 (3) ◽  
pp. E726-E734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulo José Forcina Martins ◽  
Marina Soares Marques ◽  
Sergio Tufik ◽  
Vânia D'Almeida

Several pieces of evidence support that sleep duration plays a role in body weight control. Nevertheless, it has been assumed that, after the identification of orexins (hypocretins), the molecular basis of the interaction between sleep and energy homeostasis has been provided. However, no study has verified the relationship between neuropeptide Y (NPY) and orexin changes during hyperphagia induced by sleep deprivation. In the current study we aimed to establish the time course of changes in metabolite, endocrine, and hypothalamic neuropeptide expression of Wistar rats sleep deprived by the platform method for a distinct period (from 24 to 96 h) or sleep restricted for 21 days (SR-21d). Despite changes in the stress hormones, we found no changes in food intake and body weight in the SR-21d group. However, sleep-deprived rats had a 25–35% increase in their food intake from 72 h accompanied by slight weight loss. Such changes were associated with increased hypothalamus mRNA levels of prepro-orexin (PPO) at 24 h followed by NPY at 48 h of sleep deprivation. Conversely, sleep recovery reduced the expression of both PPO and NPY, which rapidly brought the animals to a hypophagic condition. Our data also support that sleep deprivation rapidly increases energy expenditure and therefore leads to a negative energy balance and a reduction in liver glycogen and serum triacylglycerol levels despite the hyperphagia. Interestingly, such changes were associated with increased serum levels of glucagon, corticosterone, and norepinephrine, but no effects on leptin, insulin, or ghrelin were observed. In conclusion, orexin activation accounts for the myriad changes induced by sleep deprivation, especially the hyperphagia induced under stress and a negative energy balance.


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