Melanocortin activity in the amygdala controls appetite for dietary fat

2010 ◽  
Vol 298 (2) ◽  
pp. R385-R393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stéphane Boghossian ◽  
MieJung Park ◽  
David A. York

The amygdala is rich in melanocortin 4 receptors. Because the reduction in dietary fat intake after enterostatin is injected in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) is blocked by a melanocortin 4 receptor antagonist, we investigated the role of melanocortin activity in the CeA in regulating food intake and macronutrient choice. Sprague-Dawley rats, fitted with CeA cannulas, were fed either chow, a high-fat (HF) diet, or adapted to a two-choice HF or low-fat (LF) diet. Injections of the MC4R agonist melanotan II (MTII) in the CeA had a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on food intake that lasted for at least 24 h. This response was greater in rats fed a HF diet. The inverse agonist agouti-related protein (AgRP) and antagonist SHU-9119 increased food intake in a dose-dependent manner, with the hyperphagia lasting for 60 h. In rats adapted to a two-choice HF/LF diet, MTII decreased HF consumption but had no effect on LF consumption, resulting in a long-lasting decrease in total calorie intake (−35.5% after 24 h, P < 0.05). Total calorie intake increased in both AgRP- and SHU-9119-treated rats (32 and 109% after 24 h, respectively) as the result of increased intake of HF diet. There was no modification of LF consumption with AgRP treatment and a transient nonsignificant decrease with SHU-9119 treatment. Amygdala brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression was increased by AgRP in fed rats. These results identify the amygdala as a site of action for the melanocortin system to control food intake and dietary preferences.

1966 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 393-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine C. Taylor ◽  
Dorothy F. Hollingsworth ◽  
Margaret A. Chambers

1. An assessment of the Islanders' food consumption on Tristan da Cunha before the volcanic eruption of 1961 was made (Part 1). The mean daily intake of energy was 2030 kcal per person and the calories derived from protein, fat, carbohydrate and alcohol accounted for 21, 26, 50 and 3% respectively of the total calorie intake, the proportion of calories derived from protein being about twice that found in other types of diet. 2. The weekly food intake of thirty-seven families resident at Calshot, Hants, was measured in July 1963, 3–4 months before the Islanders left England to return to Tristan da Cunha (Part 2). The mean intake of energy was 1750 kcal per person per day and the calories derived from protein, fat and carbohydrate accounted for about 12, 41 and 47% respectively of total calorie intake, proportions similar to those found in present-day British diets. The proportion of other nutrients in relation to calories also resembled those in British diets, except for vitamin A and ascorbic acid, which were relatively low in the Tristan diet. 3. A comparison of the results for the Islanders with those for a sample of households surveyed for the National Food Survey was made. The Islanders consumed less of all nutrients, and the average energy value met only 65% of estimated requirements compared with 108% in the British sample. 4. Details of foods consumed and of the Islanders' food patterns and preferences are given. There is some evidence that the Tristanidns did not like their former staple foods, potatoes and fish, as available in England, though at the time of the survey they had not appreciably switched to the British staple, bread. 5. The relatively low food intake reported in this study conforms with that recorded in the Norwegian investigation of 1937–8 (Henriksen & Oeding, 1946) and with calculations of island food supplies before 1961 (Part 1). 6. Possible explanations for the low food intake are discussed. It is suggested that the Islanders may not be very active and that energy balance studies on individuals who have returned to Tristan da Cunha might throw some light on the results of this survey.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  

An immune-modulating diet (IMD), an enteral diet enriched with immunonutrition and whey-hydrolyzed peptides, has been shown to bring an improvement of prognosis by suppressing inflammation after surgery or under stress. In this study, we have experimentally and clinically examined the effect of the IMD in cancer chemotherapy. In experiments using colorectal cancer cell-transplanted mice, the mice fed with the IMD in combination with anti-cancer agent showed significantly to maintain their body weight excluding tumor, and to reduce plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels compared with the control group. Furthermore, normal mice fed with the IMD elevated the level of plasma ghrelin, in particular acyl ghrelin. An clinical trial for a patient with malignant lymphoma revealed that the acyl/desacyl ghrelin ratio and total calorie intake was increased when the patient was supplemented with the IMD in conjunction with chemotherapy. These results suggested that the supplementation of the IMD during cancer chemotherapy might enable to maintain the food intake of the patients through elevating their acyl ghrelin levels


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 256-259
Author(s):  
Hou Y.C. ◽  
Hsieh Y.L. ◽  
Tzeng I.S. ◽  
Kuo C.Y.

Malnutrition is an important issue in hospitalized patients. Poor nutrition may lead to increased risk of morbidity and death, impaired mental and physical conditions, apathy, depression, self-neglect, increased risk of medical complications, increased risk of pressure ulcers, reduced immune response, delayed wound healing, longer hospital stays, and reduced quality of life. However, few studies have investigated malnutrition in psychiatric patients. Psychiatric patients are known to have an increased risk of malnutrition, but psychiatric hospitals rarely conduct physical examinations and nutritional assessments. In this preliminary study, patients from a psychiatric ward of the Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital were chosen using the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool. We used the before-and-after analysis to test the effect of a nutrition intervention on the selected parameters. We found that patients who had an impaired nutritional status showed significant increases in body weight (mean: 43.6 ± 7.5 vs. 46.5 ± 8.2 kg; P < 0.001), BMI (mean: 16.8 ± 2.0 vs. 17.9 ± 2.1 kg/m2; P < 0.001), and total calorie intake (mean: 1128 ± 230 vs. 1378 ± 320 Kcal; P < 0.001). Nutritional intervention significantly improved body weight, BMI, and total calorie intake. Nutritional intervention may help prevent malnutrition and improve the management of psychiatric patients.


1989 ◽  
Vol 256 (1) ◽  
pp. R276-R280 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Gerardo-Gettens ◽  
B. J. Moore ◽  
J. S. Stern ◽  
B. A. Horwitz

Lactation in the rat is marked by pronounced hyperphagia and suppression of brown fat (BAT) thermogenic capacity. We previously examined the possibility that elevated prolactin levels mediate these changes. The present study evaluated the effect of varying prolactin levels on food intake, BAT mitochondrial GDP binding, and carcass adiposity. Female rats were injected daily for 10 days with ovine prolactin at one of three doses: high = 3.0, medium = 1.0, or low = 0.3 micrograms/g body wt. Controls were injected with 0.9% NaCl. A group of uninjected rats served as an additional control. Cumulative food intake was significantly elevated in a dose-dependent manner in the prolactin-treated animals relative to the saline-injected and uninjected controls. Compared with the saline controls, the mean cumulative food intake was greatest at the high dose (20% increase), intermediate at the medium dose (17%), and smallest at the low dose (12%). Prolactin-treated rats gained significantly more weight during the experiment than did controls. Despite the hyperphagia in the prolactin-treated rats, no significant differences in BAT mitochondrial GDP binding were observed among the five groups. These data indicate that elevated prolactin levels stimulate food intake in a dose-dependent manner and that this hyperphagia is not accompanied by an increase in BAT mitochondrial GDP binding.


2009 ◽  
Vol 81 (Suppl_1) ◽  
pp. 636-636
Author(s):  
Kembra L. Howdeshell ◽  
Johnathan Furr ◽  
Christy R. Lambright ◽  
Vickie Wilson ◽  
L. Earl Gray

2002 ◽  
Vol 282 (2) ◽  
pp. G317-G323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey B. Schwimmer ◽  
Looi Ee ◽  
Shuqin Zheng ◽  
Patrick Tso

Dietary proteins may play a role in lipid absorption. Whether amino acids are specifically involved is unknown. We hypothesized that enterally administered l-glutamine (l-Gln) given with a lipid meal increases triglyceride (TG) absorption in rats. Mesenteric lymph fistulae and gastroduodenal feeding tubes were placed in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. The animals received an enteral bolus of Intralipid (5 ml) followed by enteral infusion of increasing concentrations of l-Gln in saline (0, 85, 170, or 340 mM) or equimolar concentrations of the inactive isomer d-Gln or an essential amino acid mixture without Gln. Lymph was collected continuously for 6 h and analyzed for TG content. Animals infused with 85 mM l-Gln had a 64% increase in total TG output vs. controls ( P < 0.05) despite no difference in lymph flow rate. Total TG output for animals infused with 340 mMl-Gln declined by 43% vs. controls ( P < 0.05). The effect of Gln in promoting lymphatic fat transport is specific to l-Gln and not shared by d-Gln or an equivalent amino acid mixture. l-Gln is capable of either promoting or impairing lymphatic TG transport in a dose-dependent manner.


2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (11) ◽  
pp. 1565-1581
Author(s):  
S Iqbal ◽  
F Jabeen ◽  
C Peng ◽  
MU Ijaz ◽  
AS Chaudhry

Nickel nanoparticles (Ni-NPs) have been widely used in various industries related to electronics, ceramics, textiles, and nanomedicine. Ambient and occupational exposure to Ni-NPs may bring about potential detrimental effects on animals and humans. Thus, there is a growing effort to identify compounds that can ameliorate NPs-associated pathophysiologies. The present study examined Cinnamomum cassia ( C. cassia) bark extracts (CMBE) for its ameliorative activity against Ni-NPs-induced pathophysiological and histopathological alterations in male Sprague Dawley rats. The biochemical analyses revealed that dosing rats with Ni-NPs at 10 mg/kg/body weight (b.w.) significantly altered the normal structural and biochemical adaptations in the liver and kidney. Conversely, supplementations with CMBE at different doses (225, 200, and 175 mg/kg/b.w. of rat) ameliorated the altered blood biochemistry and reduced the biomarkers of liver and kidney function considerably ( p < 0.05) in a dose-dependent manner. However, the best results were at 225 mg/kg/b.w. of rat. The study provided preliminary information about the protective effect of C. cassia against Ni-NPs indicated liver and kidney damages. Future investigations are needed to explore C. cassia mechanism of action and isolation of single constituents of C. cassia to assess their pharmaceutical importance accordingly.


1977 ◽  
Author(s):  
I.B. Holmes

The effect on circulating platelet count of repeated intravenous infusions of collagen fibrils was measured in male OFA Sprague-Dawley rats (400-550 g). Citrated blood was pumped from the left carotid artery of anaesthetized animals, via a siliconized double-lumen cannula, into the manifold of a Technicon Autocounter, for continuous registration of platelet count. Native collagen fibrils (Collagenreagent ‘Horm’) were infused intravenously for 1 min at 15 min intervals. Successive increasing collagen doses (20-320 pg/kg) induced dose-dependent reduction in platelet count, measured as absolute platelet number disappearing from the circulation. Repeated infusion of collagen 160 pg/kg produced constant, partially reversible, reduction in platelet count. Several known inhibitors of platelet aggregation were investigated in the described test system. Collagen effects were inhibited in a dose-dependent manner to a maximum of 50-60 %, and drug activity was thus quantitated on the basis of dose producing 30 % inhibition (ID30): prostaglandin E1 (1.6 pg/kg/min i.v. infusion), SH-869 (1.1 mg/kg i.v.), aspirin (33.1 mg/kg p.o.), proquazone, a new non-steroidal antiinflammatory compound (5.0 mg/kg p.o.). That part of the collagen response not inhibited might be attributed to the initial phase of platelet adhesion to collagen, known to be relatively refractive to platelet function inhibitors.


2005 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 353-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fang Xie ◽  
Chun-Fu Wu ◽  
Wan-Ping Lai ◽  
Xu-juan Yang ◽  
Pik-Yuan Cheung ◽  
...  

Herba epimedii(HEP) is one of the most frequently used herbs prescribed for treatment of osteoporosis in China. In the present study, thein vivoeffects of HEP extract on bone metabolism were evaluated using 4-month-old ovariectomized (OVX) or sham-operated (Sham) female Sprague-Dawley rats orally administered with HEP extract (110 mg kg−1d−1), 17ß-estrogen (2 mg kg−1d−1) or its vehicle for 3 months. HEP extract significantly decreased urinary calcium excretion, suppressed serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and urinary deoxypyridinoline levels in OVX rats (P< 0.05 versus vehicle-treated OVX rats). Histomorphometric analysis indicated that HEP extract could prevent OVX-induced bone loss by increasing tibial trabecular bone area and decreasing trabecular separation in OVX rats (P< 0.05 versus vehicle-treated OVX group). Thein vitroeffects of HEP extract were also studied using rat osteoblast-like UMR 106 cells. HEP extract significantly stimulated cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner (P< 0.01 versus vehicle-treated) and increased ALP activity at 200 μgml−1 (P< 0.01 versus vehicle-treated) in UMR 106 cells. It modulated osteoclastogenesis by increasing osteoprotegrin (OPG) mRNA and decreasing receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) mRNA expression, resulting in a dose-dependent increase in OPG/RANKL mRNA ratio (P< 0.01 versus vehicle-treated). Taken together, HEP treatment can effectively suppress the OVX-induced increase in bone turnover possibly by both an increase in osteoblastic activities and a decrease in osteoclastogenesis. The present study provides the evidence that HEP can be considered as a complementary and alternative medicine for treatment of post-menopausal osteoporosis.


1983 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franco Zunino ◽  
Odoardo Tofanetti ◽  
Adriana Besati ◽  
Ennio Cavalletti ◽  
Giuseppina Savi

Pretreatment of Swiss mice and Sprague-Dawley rats with glutathione (GSH) reduced the acute lethal toxicity of cis-dichlorodiammine platinum (II) (cis-DDP) in a dose-dependent manner. The protection was accompanied by reduction of both body weight loss and by reduction of nephrotoxicity, as measured by a rise in serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine levels and by histopathologic changes, which occurred 4 days following cis-DDP treatment. The antitumor effects of cis-DDP on experimental tumor models (P388 and Gross leukemia) were not significantly altered by GSH treatment. It is suggested that the partial protection by GSH from acute toxicity of the antitumor drug is directly related to protection of renal function.


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