Orphanin FQ-induced hyperphagia is mediated by corticosterone and central glucocorticoid receptors
Section snippets
Experimental procedures
Male Sprague–Dawley rats (∼250 g) (Charles River Laboratories, Wilmington, MA, USA), were housed three per cage, under conditions of constant temperature and humidity, with ad libitum access to food and water. Animals were maintained on a 12-h light/dark cycle, with lights on at 06.00 h, and were allowed to habituate to the housing room for 4 days prior to surgery. All procedures described were approved by the University of Michigan Committee on Use and Care of Animals and the National
Results
I.c.v. injection of N/OFQ dose-dependently increased food intake within 30 min of injection. Vehicle-treated animals consumed very little food during this time and with each increasing dose of N/OFQ there was a corresponding increase in food intake (Fig. 1A). In the same animals, and within the same time frame, a stimulatory effect of N/OFQ was also found on plasma corticosterone (Fig. 1B).
In the adrenalectomy study, as expected, N/OFQ had a stimulatory effect on food intake in sham-operated
Discussion
This study has replicated previous reports of the stimulatory effect of N/OFQ on food intake (Pomonis et al., 1996, Nicholson et al., 1997, Stratford et al., 1997) and on corticosterone release (Devine et al., 2001). It has demonstrated, for the first time, the necessity for circulating corticosterone for N/OFQ-induced food intake. Thus, we conclude that N/OFQ-induced food intake requires the activation of central GR receptors that play a permissive role in its orexigenic effects.
In the first
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2015, Vitamins and HormonesCitation Excerpt :However, a crucial point to consider is whether plasma cortisol concentrations are a relevant marker of immune suppression, since it is not clear whether plasma cortisol concentrations are increased in patients with depressed immune function (Al-Hashimi et al., 2013). In rodents, the acute administration of N/OFQ generally increases ACTH and glucocorticoids; this may have immunosuppressive actions (Devine, Watson, & Akil, 2001; Fernandez, Misilmeri, Felger, & Devine, 2004; Green, Barbieri, Brown, Chen, & Devine, 2007; Leggett, Harbuz, Jessop, & Fulford, 2006; Nicholson, Akil, & Watson, 2002; Vitale, Arletti, Ruggieri, Cifani, & Massi, 2006). However, opposite effects have also been reported (Le Cudennec, Naudin, Do Rego, & Costentin, 2002).
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