ADRENALECTOMY OF THE OBESE ZUCKER RAT - EFFECTS ON THE FEEDING RESPONSE TO ENTEROSTATIN AND SPECIFIC MESSENGER-RNA LEVELS

The effects of adrenalectomy on the feeding response to enterostatin a nd the mRNA levels of its parent protein, pancreatic colipase, have be en investigated in lean (fa/?) and genetically obese (fa/fa) rats. Adr enalectomy reduced body weight gain and food intake of obese rats. Ent erostatin inhibited the intake of high-fat diet in obese rats but not in lean rats. Adrenalectomy reduced food intake of all rats and abolis hed the response to enterostatin in the obese group. Obese rats had lo w levels of colipase mRNA, but these were normalized after adrenalecto my. The ability to respond to exogenous enterostatin is possibly linke d to low levels of production of the peptide. The effects of adrenalec tomy on brown adipose tissue uncoupling protein (UCP) mRA and beta3-ad renergic receptor (beta3-AR) mRNA were also investigated. Northern blo t analysis showed low levels of both UCP mRNA and beta3-AR mRNA in obe se rats that were restored to or toward the normal levels of lean rats by adrenalectomy. Adrenalectomy had no significant effects on mRNA le vels in lean rats.