BES2003 Oral Communications Brain and Behaviour (8 abstracts)
Elevated circulating levels of cocaine- and amphetamine regulated transcript (CART) in anorexia nervosa
SA Stanley 1 , F Connan 2 , CJ Small 1 , KG Murphy 1 , JF Todd 1 , M Ghatei 1 , J Treasure 2 & SR Bloom 1
1Endocrine Unit, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, UK; 2South London and Maudsley NHS Trust Eating Disorders Unit and Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College, London, UK.
The peptides, cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART), alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) are present in the circulation and may act as peripheral anorectic signals. CART, alpha-MSH and GLP-1 may play a role in tumour anorexia, but their roles in anorexia nervosa (AN) are unknown. These studies aimed firstly to measure plasma CART, alpha-MSH and GLP-1 in control and AN subjects and secondly, to measure plasma CART following weight gain in AN subjects.
Fasting plasma CART, alpha-MSH and GLP-1 were measured in 13 anorexics and 7 controls with mean body mass indices (BMI) of 17.2 and 22.7 kg per meter squared respectively. Circulating alpha-MSH or GLP-1 did not differ between the groups. Plasma CART was significantly elevated in anorexics (plasma CART: control 7.9 plus/minus 1 picomoles per litre, anorexic 15.9 plus/minus 2.6 picomoles per litre, p less than 0.05).
Fasting plasma CART was measured in 19 AN women (anorexic), 9 women with AN during weight gain (refed) and 14 women with previous AN who had maintained a normal body weight for 1 year (recovered). The mean BMI were 14.5, 17.9 and 20.5 kg per meter squared respectively. Circulating CART levels were significantly increased in the anorexic and refed group compared to the recovered subjects (plasma CART: recovered 5.9 plus/minus 0.7 picomoles per litre, acute 12.9 plus/minus 1.4 picomoles per litre, p less than 0.05, refed 11.8 plus/minus 3.3 picomoles per litre, p less than 0.05). Plasma CART levels were significantly inversely correlated with BMI (r = minus 0.673, p less than 0.0001) and significantly correlated with duration of disease (r = 0.502, p less than 0.001).
Alpha-MSH and GLP-1 levels did not differ between control and anorexic subjects. Plasma CART was significantly elevated in AN even following some weight gain. CART may contribute to the aetiology of AN.
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Endocrine Abstracts
ISSN 1470-3947 (print) | ISSN 1479-6848 (online)
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