scholarly journals Central Administration of Ghrelin and Agouti-Related Protein (83–132) Increases Food Intake and Decreases Spontaneous Locomotor Activity in Rats

Endocrinology ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 145 (10) ◽  
pp. 4645-4652 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mads Tang-Christensen ◽  
Niels Vrang ◽  
Sylvia Ortmann ◽  
Martin Bidlingmaier ◽  
Tamas L. Horvath ◽  
...  

Abstract Ghrelin was recently identified as an endogenous ligand of the GH secretagogue receptor. The novel peptide hormone is produced by gastric A-like cells, and circulating levels rise before feeding, suggestive of ghrelin as an endogenous hunger factor. ghrelin stimulates food intake and promotes adiposity after peripheral or central administration, likely by activating hypothalamic neurons expressing the orexigenic neuropeptides neuropeptide Y (NPY) and agouti-related protein (AGRP). To examine whether ghrelin-induced feeding resembles NPY and AGRP [AGRP fragment (83–132)] induced orexia, we compared the short- and long-term orexigenic capacity of the three peptides. A single intracerebroventricular injection of ghrelin (0.2, 1.0, and 5.0 μg) increased food intake in a dose-dependent manner. A prolonged and uncompensated increase in feeding was seen after the highest dose of ghrelin. The prolonged effects on feeding (+72 h) closely resembled those of AGRP (83–132) but not NPY. Surprisingly, ghrelin injections reduced overall locomotor activity by 20% during the first 24-h observation period. AGRP (83–132) had similar effects on locomotor behavior, whereas NPY had no effect. In summary, ghrelin causes long-term increases of food intake and, like AGRP, plays a previously unknown role as a suppressor of spontaneous physical activity. Expanding the current model of food intake control to include mechanisms regulating physical activity may promote our understanding of two major etiological factors causing obesity.

2009 ◽  
Vol 106 (37) ◽  
pp. 15932-15937 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise E. Olofsson ◽  
Andrew A. Pierce ◽  
Allison W. Xu

In female mammals including rodents and humans, feeding decreases during the periovulatory period of the ovarian cycle, which coincides with a surge in circulating estrogen levels. Ovariectomy increases food intake, which can be normalized by estrogen treatment at a dose and frequency mimicking those during the estrous cycle. Furthermore, administration of estrogen to rodents potently inhibits food intake. Despite these well-known effects of estrogen, neuronal subtypes that mediate estrogen's anorexigenic effects have not been identified. In this study, we show that changes in hypothalamic expression of agouti-related protein (Agrp) and neuropeptide Y (Npy) coincide with the cyclic changes in feeding across the estrous cycle. These cyclic changes in feeding are abolished in mice with degenerated AgRP neurons even though these mice cycle normally. Central administration of 17β-estradiol (E2) decreases food intake in controls but not in mice lacking the AgRP neurons. Furthermore, E2 treatment suppresses fasting-induced c-Fos activation in AgRP and NPY neurons and blunts the refeeding response. Surprisingly, although estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) is the key mediator of estrogen's anorexigenic effects, we find that expression of ERα is completely excluded from AgRP and NPY neurons in the mouse hypothalamus, suggesting that estrogen may regulate these neurons indirectly via presynaptic neurons that express ERα. This study indicates that neurons coexpressing AgRP and NPY are functionally required for the cyclic changes in feeding across estrous cycle and that AgRP and NPY neurons are essential mediators of estrogen's anorexigenic function.


Endocrinology ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 144 (10) ◽  
pp. 4552-4561 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Miguel Cerdá-Reverter ◽  
Richard Ector Peter

Agouti-related protein (AGRP) is a naturally occurring antagonist of melanocortin. In mammals, central AGRP expression is restricted to the arcuate nucleus in which it plays a key role in the control of energy balance by antagonizing melanocortin effects at melanocortin 4 receptors. In goldfish, melanocortin 4 receptor is profusely expressed within the main brain areas for the control of energy balance, and central administration of agonist or antagonist analogs inhibits or stimulates food intake, respectively. Here we demonstrate that the goldfish genome has a homologous gene to mammalian AGRP. Detailed brain mapping by in situ hybridization shows that AGRP is exclusively expressed in the ventrobasal hypothalamic lateral tuberal nucleus, the teleostean homolog of the arcuate nucleus. Fasting up-regulates its mRNA levels in the lateral tuberal nucleus. In the periphery, AGRP is expressed in several tissues including ovary, muscle, and ventral skin, suggesting that AGRP might regulate peripheral actions of melanocortin peptides. The results provide the first evidence for an endogenous melanocortin antagonist in nontetrapod species and suggest that hypothalamic overexpression during fasting might regulate the inhibitory effects of melanocortin peptides on food intake in goldfish.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (s1) ◽  
pp. 3-3
Author(s):  
Sadiya Ahmad ◽  
Pamela Reed ◽  
Shane Sprauge ◽  
Naomi Sayre

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: The limited treatment options for ischemic stroke patients have resulted in stroke being a leading cause of death and the primary cause of long-term disability in the U.S. Finding effective treatment options requires a better fundamental understanding of the ongoing processes that contribute to poor long-term outcome. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Expression of Apolipoprotein E4 predisposes stroke patients to poor long-term outcome. This study aims to test one possible mechanism by which ApoE4 contributes to cognitive decline after stroke. Here, we examine the effect of a major ApoE4 receptor, low-density lipoprotein receptor related protein 1 (LRP1) on sensitivity to stress in astrocytes. LRP1 binds and moves extracellular ligands and plasma membrane proteins into the endocytic system. Others have shown that LRP1 regulates cell-surface TNF receptor (TNFR1) in non-astrocytic cells. We propose That LRP1 similarly regulates TNFR1 in the central nervous system to attenuate inflammatory response after stroke. Studies have shown that ApoE4 slows the recycling of endocytic LDL receptors. We hypothesize that ApoE4 inhibits the ability of LRP1 to remove TNFR1 from the plasma membrane. This is expected to increase cytokine sensitivity, resulting in worse outcome after stroke. We investigated the effect of LRP1 on astrocyte TNFα signaling and response in immortalized ApoE null mouse astrocytes subjected to lentiviral-mediated knockdown of LRP1. The astrocyte response to TNFα stimulation was tested in a time dependent manner using Western blotting of NFkB pathway components, which are the downstream mediators of TNFα signaling. We also tested astrocyte viability after prolonged TNFα stimulation using Alamar Blue reagent. We found that LRP1 deficient cells have increased phosphorylation of NFkB upon TNFα stimulation, and that loss of LRP1 resulted in significant loss of astrocyte viability after prolonged stimulation. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Altogether, our results indicate that loss of LRP1 renders astrocytes more sensitive to TNFα. Future experiments will focus on testing the influence of LRP1 on recovery after middle cerebral artery occlusion in mice. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: These studies will elucidate how astrocyte-LRP1 contributes to outcome after stroke, and helps us to understand one potential way that ApoE4 exerts pathological effects. A better understanding of the long-term processes after stroke will allow identification of therapies which improve the morbidity and mortality associated with stroke. CONFLICT OF INTEREST DESCRIPTION: NA.


2013 ◽  
Vol 305 (5) ◽  
pp. R499-R505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyun-Ju Kim ◽  
Eun-Young Park ◽  
Mi-Jeong Oh ◽  
Sung-Soo Park ◽  
Kyung-Ho Shin ◽  
...  

Administration of metformin is known to reduce both body weight and food intake. Although the hypothalamus is recognized as a critical regulator of energy balance and body weight, there is currently no evidence for an effect of metformin in the hypothalamus. Therefore, we sought to determine the central action of metformin on energy balance and body weight, as well as its potential involvement with key hypothalamic energy sensors, including adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and S6 kinase (S6K). We used meal pattern analysis and a conditioned taste aversion (CTA) test and measured energy expenditure in C56BL/6 mice administered metformin (0, 7.5, 15, or 30 μg) into the third ventricle (I3V). Furthermore, we I3V-administered either control or metformin (30 μg) and compared the phosphorylation of AMPK and S6K in the mouse mediobasal hypothalamus. Compared with the control, I3V administration of metformin decreased body weight and food intake in a dose-dependent manner and did not result in CTA. Furthermore, the reduction in food intake induced by I3V administration of metformin was accomplished by decreases in both nocturnal meal size and number. Compared with the control, I3V administration of metformin significantly increased phosphorylation of S6K at Thr389 and AMPK at Ser485/491 in the mediobasal hypothalamus, while AMPK phosphorylation at Thr172 was not significantly altered. Moreover, I3V rapamycin pretreatment restored the metformin-induced anorexia and weight loss. These results suggest that the reduction in food intake induced by the central administration of metformin in the mice may be mediated by activation of S6K pathway.


1989 ◽  
Vol 98 (4) ◽  
pp. 448-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charanjit S. Aulakh ◽  
Joseph Zohar ◽  
Krystyna M. Wozniak ◽  
James L. Hill ◽  
Dennis L. Murphy

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gul Tiryaki-Sonmez ◽  
Serife Vatansever ◽  
Burcin Olcucu ◽  
Brad Schoenfeld

SummaryObesity, a disorder of body composition, is defined by a relative or absolute excess of body fat. In general adult population, obesity has been associated with a diverse array of adverse health outcomes, including major causes of death such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, as well as functional impairment from problems such as osteoarthritis and sleep apnea. Ghrelin is a newly discovered peptide hormone which plays an important role in obesity. It is a powerful, endogenous orexigenic peptide and has a crucial function in appetite regulation, as well as short – and long-term energy homeostasis. In the presence of increased obesity, decreased physical activity, and high food consumption, the relationship between exercise, appetite, food intake and ghrelin levels has important implications. In this review, we discuss the effect of acute and chronic exercise performance on appetite, food intake and ghrelin and their relationships.


Endocrinology ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 140 (6) ◽  
pp. 2645-2650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peilin Chen ◽  
Chien Li ◽  
Carrie Haskell-Luevano ◽  
Roger D. Cone ◽  
M. Susan Smith

Abstract During lactation, the levels of neuropeptide Y (NPY), which plays an important role in mediating food intake, are significantly elevated in a number of hypothalamic areas, including the arcuate nucleus (ARH). To identify additional hypothalamic systems that might be important in mediating the increase in food intake and alterations in energy homeostasis during lactation, the present studies examined the expression of agouti-related protein (AGRP), a recently described homologue of the skin agouti protein. AGRP is found in the hypothalamus and has been suggested to play an important role in the regulation of food intake. In the first experiment, animals were studied during diestrus of the estrous cycle, a stage of the cycle when estrogen levels are basal and similar to lactation, or during days 12–13 postpartum. Lactating animals had their litters adjusted to eight pups on day 2 postpartum. Brain tissue sections were used to measure AGRP messenger RNA (mRNA) levels by in situ hybridization. AGRP mRNA signal was found mostly in the ventromedial portion of the ARH, which has been shown to contain a high density of NPY neurons. A significant increase in AGRP mRNA content was observed in the mid- to caudal portion of the ARH of lactating animals compared with diestrous females. No difference was found in the rostral portion of the ARH. In the second experiment, double-label in situ hybridization for AGRP and NPY was performed in lactating animals to determine the extent of colocalization of the two peptides in the ARH, using 35S-labeled and digoxigenin-labeled antisense complementary RNA probes. It was found that almost all of the NPY-positive neurons throughout the ARH also expressed AGRP mRNA signal. Furthermore, AGRP expression was confined almost exclusively to NPY-positive neurons. Thus, the present study showed that during lactation, AGRP gene expression was significantly elevated in a subset of the AGRP neurons in the ARH. The high degree of colocalization of AGRP and NPY, coupled with previous reports from our laboratory demonstrating increased NPY expression in the ARH in response to suckling, suggests that AGRP and NPY are coordinately regulated and may be involved in the increase in food intake during lactation.


1997 ◽  
Vol 272 (2) ◽  
pp. R726-R730 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. E. Thiele ◽  
G. Van Dijk ◽  
L. A. Campfield ◽  
F. J. Smith ◽  
P. Burn ◽  
...  

Leptin (ob protein) and glucagon-like peptide-1-(7-36) amide (GLP-1) are peptides recently proposed to be involved in the regulation of food intake. Although the ability of exogenous leptin and GLP-1 to modulate consummatory behavior is consistent with the suggestion that these peptides are endogenous regulatory agents, central administration of these peptides may have aversive side effects, which could explain the anorexia. In the present experiment, exposure to a saccharine taste was immediately followed by central administration of leptin or GLP-1 to determine if these drugs could produce a conditioned taste aversion (CTA) in rats. At doses equated for producing comparable reductions in short-term food intake, GLP-1, but not leptin, generated a robust CTA. Although leptin caused no aversion, this peptide was the only drug to cause relatively long-term reductions in food consumption (16 h) and body weight (24 h). Hence, the results indicate that central GLP-1 produces aversive side effects, and it is argued that these nonspecific effects may explain the anorectic actions of GLP-1.


Endocrinology ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 145 (2) ◽  
pp. 541-547 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mabrouka Doghman ◽  
Philippe Delagrange ◽  
Antonine Blondet ◽  
Marie-Claude Berthelon ◽  
Philippe Durand ◽  
...  

Abstract Agouti-related protein (Agrp), primarily expressed in the hypothalamus, is an endogenous antagonist of αMSH at the level of melanocortin 3 receptor (MC3-R) and MC4-R, but the adrenal gland represents the second major Agrp-expressing tissue. In adrenal fasciculata cells, the glucocorticoid secretion is under the control of ACTH, which binds specifically MC2-R, the only functional melanocortin receptor described in these cells to date. Nevertheless, using cultured bovine fasciculata adrenal cells, we report that Agrp has no antagonistic properties against ACTH at the level of MC2-R. In our studies, (Nle4, d-Phe7)-αMSH (NDP-αMSH) stimulated the production of cortisol in a dose-dependent manner, and these effects were abolished by Agrp or SHU9119, a synthetic antagonist of MC3-R and MC4-R. Using a more specific antagonist (JKC-363) and RT-PCR analysis, we can postulate that the effects of NDP-αMSH were mediated via MC4-R. These results are suggestive that adrenal glucocorticoid production could be regulated through MC4-R that may have some relevance in the physiology of adrenal cells. Moreover, Agrp might exert an autocrine control on adrenal cells because a protein with biological Agrp-like activity is secreted by these cells. This peptide could then modulate locally the functions of some peripheral tissues such as adrenals.


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