Evidence of an orexigenic role for cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript after administration into discrete hypothalamic nuclei

  • C. R. Abbott
  • , M. Rossi
  • , A. M. Wren
  • , K. G. Murphy
  • , A. R. Kennedy
  • , S. A. Stanley
  • , A. N. Zollner
  • , D. G.A. Morgan
  • , I. Morgan
  • , M. A. Ghatei
  • , C. J. Small
  • , S. R. Bloom

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

144 Scopus citations

Abstract

Cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript is expressed in hypothalamic regions involved in the central control of food intake. Previous data have implicated cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript as an anorectic peptide. We studied the effect of the active fragment of cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript, cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript-(55-102), on feeding when injected into discrete nuclei of the hypothalamus. Cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript-(55-102) (0.04 nmol) elicited a delayed, but significant, increase in feeding in 24-h fasted rats after injection into the ventromedial nucleus (1-2 h, 261 ± 60% of control; P < 0.05) and arcuate nucleus (1-2 h, 225 ± 38% of control; P < 0.05) of the hypothalamus. Administration of a higher dose of cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript-(55-102) (0.2 nmol) elicited a significant increase in feeding after injection into the ventromedial nucleus (1-2 h, 1253 ± 179% of control;P < 0.001), arcuate nucleus (1-2 h, 265 ± 43% of control; P < 0.05), paraventricular nucleus (2-4 h food intake, 186 ± 29% of control; P < 0.05), lateral hypothalamic area (2-4 h, 280 ± 34% of control; P < 0.001), anterior hypothalamic area (2-4 h, 252 ± 42% of control; P 0.01), dorsomedial nucleus (2-4 h, 368 ± 29% of control; P < 0.001) and supraoptic nucleus (2-4 h, 212 ± 34% of control; P < 0.05) of the hypothalamus. Administration of cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript-(55-102) into the third ventricle of the hypothalamus resulted in an inhibition in feeding [0-4 h (0.4 nmol), 33 ± 13% control; P < 0.001], but was associated with marked abnormalities in behavior, which may have interfered with feeding. These behavioral abnormalities were not observed after the administration of cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript-(55-102) directly into the arcuate nucleus. These data suggest that cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript may play an orexigenic role in the hypothalamic feeding circuitry.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3457-3463
Number of pages7
JournalEndocrinology
Volume142
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - 2001
Externally publishedYes

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