Jj. Ramsey et al., DIFFERENT CENTRAL AND PERIPHERAL RESPONSES TO LEPTIN IN RHESUS-MONKEYS - BRAIN TRANSPORT MAY BE LIMITED, The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 83(9), 1998, pp. 3230-3235
The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of leptin a
dministration on food intake and energy expenditure in rhesus monkeys.
Four adult male rhesus monkeys, cannulated in the left lateral cerebr
al ventricle, were used for all phases of this experiment. Food intake
was measured following intracerebroventricular injections of vehicle
or three doses (500 ng, 2 mu g, and 22 mu g) leptin. Leptin administra
tion resulted in a dose-dependent decrease in food intake (P < 0.05),
with food intake decreased by an average of 54% at 22 mu g leptin. Ene
rgy expenditure was also measured at two intracerebroventricular doses
of leptin. Energy expenditure was not different (P > 0.10) between pl
acebo and leptin injections at either dose. Food intake was also measu
red following iv injection of 3 mg leptin. In this case, leptin did no
t alter (P > 0.10) food intake, despite increasing serum leptin levels
by as much as 100-fold. These results suggest that leptin is a potent
inhibitor of food intake in rhesus monkeys, but this effect requires
elevation of leptin concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid or criti
cal brain sites. The transport system for movement of leptin across th
e blood-brain barrier may limit the influence of circulating leptin on
food intake in monkeys.