The detrimental effect of simmondsin on food intake and body weight of rats

Background: Simmondsin is a cyanomethylene glycoside, derived from the dese rt shrub, Simmondsia chinensis. Simmondsin has been reported to produce wei ght loss and to decrease food intake, an effect that can be blocked by trea tment with an inhibitor of cholecystokinin. Study design: Six experiments w ere conducted on male Sprague-Dawley rats. Results: In two acute experiment s where simmondsin was either added to the diet or injected, there was a do se-related reduction in food intake. The CCK, antagonist, lorglumide, did n ot block the acute inhibitory effects of simmondsin on food intake and simm ondsin did not produce conditioned taste aversion. In two chronic feeding s tudies, the high dose of simmondsin (0.5%) in the diet produced profound we ight loss and death in rats. At autopsy, the kidney, heart and liver of the treated animals were larger than the pair-fed animals and there was a mark ed suppression of the bone marrow elements with severe anemia. Conclusion: Simmondsin is toxic with profound effects on the hematopoietic system. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.