ECE2013 Poster Presentations Neuroendocrinology (42 abstracts)
Des-acyl ghrelin acts directly and independently and counteracts acyl-ghrelin-induced neuronal activity in the central melanocortin system of rats
Darko Stevanovic 1, , Patric Delhanty 1 , Axel Themmen 1 , Vera Popovic 4 , Joan Holstege 3 & Aart-Jan van der Lely 1
1Department of Medicine, Erasmus University MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; 2School of Medicine, Institute of Physiology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia; 3Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus University MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; 4School of Medicine, Institute of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Diseases of Metabolism, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
Ghrelin, the endogenous GH secretagogue, has an important role in metabolic homeostasis. It exists in two major molecular forms: acylated (AG) and des-acylated (DAG). Many studies suggest different roles for these two forms in energy balance regulation. In the present study, we compared the effects of acute intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of AG, DAG and their combination (AG+DAG) to young adult Wistar rats on food intake and central melanocortin system modulation. The results showed that ICV DAG did not affect food intake when compared to saline-treated rats. The same treatment significantly increased the number of c-fos (marker of neuronal activity) positive neurons in the arcuate (ARC), paraventricular (PVN) and solitary tract (NTS) nuclei, while DAG suppressed AG-induced neuronal activity in PVN and NTS, 2 h postinjection. Central DAG increased melanocortin-4 (MC4R) and decreased melanocortin-3 receptor (MC3R), agouti-related protein (AgRP) and proopiomelanocortin (POMC) hypothalamic gene expressions, 5 h postinjection. These results demonstrate that DAG acts directly, centrally and AG-independently to increase neuronal activity in the melanocortin system in rats and is able to counteract AG actions in hypothalamic PVN and NTS in the brainstem. Together with the absence of the effect on energy intake, these results indicate that DAG could affect energy homeostasis by modulation of energy expenditure via central melanocortin system.
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Endocrine Abstracts
ISSN 1470-3947 (print) | ISSN 1479-6848 (online)
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