Ll. Bernardis et al., IN-VITRO [U-C-14]GLUCOSE UTILIZATION BY TISSUES OF WEANLING RATS WITHLATERAL HYPOTHALAMIC AREA LESIONS ONE MONTH AFTER LESION PRODUCTION, Japanese Journal of Physiology, 45(4), 1995, pp. 631-644
The role of the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) in intermediary metabo
lism was investigated by quantitation of [U-C-14]glucose oxidation to
(CO2)-C-14 and C-14 incorporation into the glycogen and lipid fraction
of the liver, epididymal fat pad, and diaphragm. Weanling male Spragu
e-Dawley rats received bilateral electrolytic lesions in the LHA (LHAL
rats). Sham-operated rats were either fed ad libitum (CON-ADLIB) or p
air-gained to the LHAL rats (CON-PG). The experiment was terminated 1
month after lesion production. LHAL rats were significantly (SIG) ligh
ter and shorter and ate less than CON-ADLIB; LHAL rats were also SIG s
horter than CON-PG, pointing to a food intake-independent lesion effec
t. Both LHAL and CON-PG rats had SIG less percent carcass fat than CON
-ADLIB, but there was no SIG difference between LHAL and CON-PG rats.
Also, LHAL rats had a SIG higher percentage of carcass protein than bo
th CON-ADLIB and CON-PG. Furthermore, LHAL rats incorporated SIG less
glucose into liver glycogen than CON-ADLIB but SIG more into CON-PG, w
hereas CON-PG rats incorporated SIG less into liver glycogen than CON-
ADLIB, again suggesting a food intake-independent effect. There was no
difference among the groups in glucose oxidation and incorporation in
to lipids and glycogen in both diaphragm and epididymal fat pads and l
iver total lipid. However, livers of CON-PG metabolized SIG more [U-C-
14]glucose to CO2 than did livers of CON-ADLIB, suggesting a food inta
ke-dependent effect. There was no difference between LHAL and CON-PG r
ats in this parameter. These data indicate that the majority of the ch
anges in weanling rats 1 month after LHAL must be due to the greatly r
educed food intake precipitated by the lesions rather than some specif
ic food intake-independent ''metabolic'' lesion effect.