T. Adage et al., Hypothalamic, metabolic, and behavioral responses to pharmacological inhibition of CNS melanocortin signaling in rats, J NEUROSC, 21(10), 2001, pp. 3639-3645
The CNS melanocortin (MC) system is implicated as a mediator of the central
effects of leptin, and reduced activity of the CNS MC system promotes obes
ity in both rodents and humans. Because activation of CNS MC receptors has
direct effects on autonomic outflow and metabolism, we hypothesized that fo
od intake- independent mechanisms contribute to development of obesity indu
ced by pharmacological blockade of MC receptors in the brain and that chang
es in hypothalamic neuropeptidergic systems known to regulate weight gain [
i. e., corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), cocaine- amphetamine- related
transcript (CART), proopiomelanocortin (POMC), and neuropeptide Y (NPY)] w
ould trigger this effect. Relative to vehicle- treated controls, third intr
acerebroventricular (i3vt) administration of the MC receptor antagonist SHU
9119 to rats for 11 d doubled food and water intake (toward the end of trea
tment) and increased body weight (similar to 14%) and fat content (similar
to 90%), hepatic glycogen content (similar to 40%), and plasma levels of ch
olesterol (similar to 48%), insulin (similar to 259%), glucagon (similar to
80%), and leptin (similar to 490%), whereas spontaneous locomotor activity
and body temperature were reduced. Pair- feeding of i3vt SHU9119- treated
animals to i3vt vehicle- treated controls normalized plasma levels of insul
in, glucagon, and hepatic glycogen content, but only partially reversed the
elevations of plasma cholesterol (similar to 31%) and leptin (similar to 1
04%) and body fat content (similar to 27%). Reductions in body temperature
and locomotor activity induced by i3vt SHU9119 were not reversed by pair fe
eding, but rather were more pronounced. None of the effects found can be ex
plained by peripheral action of the compound. The obesity effects occurred
despite a lack in neuropeptide expression responses in the neuroanatomical
range selected across the arcuate (i. e., CART, POMC, and NPY) and paravent
ricular (i. e., CRH) hypothalamus. The results indicate that reduced activi
ty of the CNS MC pathway promotes fat deposition via both food intake- depe
ndent and -independent mechanisms.