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Query: UMLS:C0028754 (obesity)
 124,988 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Inconsistent results have emerged from past studies in which operant conditioning paradigms were used to assess the hunger motivation of genetically obese mice relative to that of normal mice. Methodological considerations indicated the need to examine operant performance to a criterion, rather than performance during time-based sessions, and then to focus upon response differences in resistance to extinction. Therefore, genetically obese (ob/ob) mice and normal littermates were trained successfully to bar-press for 100 food rewards on either a CRF or a FR-10 schedule of reinforcement. Extinction behavior was then examined over 9 daily 1-hr sessions. While obese and normal mice evidenced similar patterns of learning, or response discrimination for food rewards, they evidenced different levels of hunger motivation during extinction conditions. Obese mice displayed a greater reduction in responding across extinction sessions, or less resistance to extinction, than normal mice following training on both schedules of reinforcement. These findings suggest that ob/ob mice exhibit lower levels of hunger motivation than normal littermates.
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PMID:Decreased resistance to extinction in ob/ob mice following operant training. 717 68

The metabolic syndrome is discussed in terms of insulin resistance linked to an increased regulation of metabolism by cortisol and fatty acids. This change in hormonal balance is associated with diabetes, android (visceral) obesity, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, hyperapobetalipoproteinemia and low concentrations of HDL; a cluster of risk-factors that predisposes to the development of premature atherosclerosis. It is proposed that the metabolic syndrome is accompanied by a derangement in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis such that the effects of cortisol are exaggerated relative to those of CRF. Excessive action of fatty acids and cortisol causes insulin resistance and increase the hepatic secretion of glucose and VLDL. Furthermore, cortisol can decrease the uptake of LDL by the liver. Cortisol in the presence of relatively high insulin concentrations can promote the deposition of energy and lead to obesity. Chronic treatment of rats with D-fenfluramine has been shown to decrease the release of cortisol and fatty acids in response to stress, and to improve insulin sensitivity. The effects of D-fenfluramine were also tested in male JCR:LA corpulent rats which are prone to develop atherosclerosis and myocardial lesions. D-fenfluramine improved insulin sensitivity, decreased the hypertriglyceridemia, and prevented the development of necrotic myocardial lesions caused by ischemia. The data presented demonstrates a link between excessive action of cortisol and fatty acids in predisposing to insulin resistance and the pathologies that are associated with the metabolic syndrome.
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PMID:Role of glucocorticoids and fatty acids in the impairment of lipid metabolism observed in the metabolic syndrome. 755 May 41

Obese individuals may be characterized by higher than normal basal and stimulated beta-endorphin plasma concentrations, which suggests an increased activity of the opioid system. This study was carried out to investigate whether the regulation of beta-endorphin secretion may be different in different phenotypes of obesity. Twenty-two obese women (body mass index greater than 30 kg/m2) without other endocrine and metabolic abnormalities were investigated. A group of seven normal weight healthy women matched for age served as controls. According to the protocol, obese women included in the study had a waist-to-hip ratio higher than 0.85 (n = 9) or lower than 0.80 (n = 13). The former were defined as having abdominal type and the latter peripheral type body fat distribution. Both groups were matched for body mass index. All women randomly underwent a corticotrophin-releasing hormone test (human CRF, 1 microgram/kg body weight) and a control saline study, with blood samples for beta-endorphin determination taken at regular intervals. Basal beta-endorphin levels were not significantly different between the three groups. No significant variation in the hormone levels occurred during the control study in either group. After CRF injection, however, beta-endorphin rose significantly in all women, but the hormone concentrations were significantly higher in obese women with abdominal fat distribution than in those with peripheral fat distribution and in controls. These results indicate that, among obese women, only those with the abdominal phenotype seem to have increased opioid activity.
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PMID:Beta-endorphin response to exogenous corticotrophin-releasing hormone in obese women with different patterns of body fat distribution. 824 28

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a 36 amino-acid peptide. It is localized within the brain but is also present peripherally. It is a well substantiated orexigenic peptide with several other endocrine and behavioural effects. In this study NPY mRNA levels were measured, using the polymerase chain reaction amplification technique, in the hypothalamus of pre-obese (unweaned 13-day-old), young (weaned 28-day-old) and adult (11-week-old) obese fa/fa rats and compared to those of lean age-matched controls. Before weaning, pre-obese pups had the same NPY mRNA levels as controls. After weaning NPY mRNA levels were increased 2-fold in young 28-day-old and 4-fold in adult obese rats, relative to corresponding controls. When adult obese rats were intracerebroventricularly-treated with ovine corticotropin-releasing hormone (oCRF) for 7 days, they stopped gaining body weight relative to vehicle-infused obese controls. Upon measuring NPY mRNA levels in the hypothalamus of these two groups of animals, it was shown that the high NPY mRNA levels of vehicle-treated (control) obese rats were decreased by 3-fold following the intracerebroventricular oCRF administration. It is proposed that: 1) hypothalamic NPY may play a role in the establishment and maintenance of the genetic obesity syndrome of the fa/fa rat, and 2) maintenance of the genetic obesity syndrome of the fa/fa rat, and 2) hypothalamic NPY could be partly regulated by central CRF.
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PMID:Hypothalamic neuropeptide Y messenger ribonucleic acid levels in pre-obese and genetically obese (fa/fa) rats; potential regulation thereof by corticotropin-releasing factor. 840 61

Expression of CRF messenger RNA (mRNA) and heteronuclear RNA (hnRNA) as well as the mRNAs encoding the CRF receptors of type 1 (CRF1R) and type 2 alpha (CFR2R) in the brain has been investigated in lean (Fa/?) and obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats. Exonic and intronic in situ hybridization histochemistry was employed to measure the mRNA and hnRNA levels in rats killed before (resting state), during, and 120 min after a treadmill running session. The resting expression of CRF hnRNA in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of obese rats was minimal and comparable to that of lean rats. However, during treadmill running, this expression was higher in obese than in lean rats. In obese rats, the transcription of the CRF1R mRNA in the PVN was high under resting conditions, dropped considerably during running, and rose again to elevated levels 120 min after the treadmill session. In lean rats, CRF1R mRNA in the PVN was minimal before and during running, but rose to a value similar to that in obese rats 120 min after running. In the PVN of obese rats, expression of the CRF1R gene measured during resting conditions was comparable to the level seen after running and proved to be dependent upon the feeding state of the rats. Expression of the CRF2R transcript was reduced in the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH) of the obese rat. Plasma ACTH concentrations during treadmill running were lower in obese than in lean animals. Basal and postrunning levels of circulating corticosterone were higher in fa/fa than in Fa/? rats. However, there was no difference in corticosterone levels between lean and obese animals during running. The present results provide evidence for differences between lean and obese rats in the expression of CRF and its receptor within selective hypothalamic nuclei. Given the anorectic and thermogenic properties of CRF and the roles of PVN and VMH in the regulation of energy balance, it can be argued that the observed alterations in the biosynthesis of CRF and its receptors within the PVN and VMH might be related to the development of obesity.
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PMID:Expression of corticotropin-releasing factor and its receptors in the brain of lean and obese Zucker rats. 889 48

The melanocortin (ACTH/MSH) peptides exert a number of central effects. In the eighties, we described for the first time a role for melanocortins in the central control of appetite. We showed that the injection of ACTH-(1-24) into a brain lateral ventricle reduced food intake up to 76.6% in starved rats. Injections into the ventromedial hypothalamus during the nocturnal feeding phase also markedly inhibited food intake. These effects were also confirmed in mice and rabbits. Targeted disruption of the MC4 receptor resulting in obesity in mice explained the role of this receptor in mediating effects of melanocortins on food intake. Administration of MC4 receptor agonists leads to acute reduction in food intake and body weight, while the reverse effects are observed after administration of selective MC4 receptor antagonists, confirming the role of the melanocortins in mediating a tonic inhibition on feeding behavior. Moreover, immobilization stress-induced anorexia may be partially reversed by single and repeated intracerebroventricular administration of selective MC4 receptor antagonists. It is thus evident that MC4 receptor blockage can reduce stress-induced anorexia and that repeated injections of selective MC4 receptor antagonists have a sustained effect on food intake without any sign of tachyphylaxis. However, we have also shown that the behavioral effects of CRF (anorexia and grooming) are not influenced by MC4 receptor blockage. These effects of CRF are thus not due to an indirect mechanism caused by an increased release of melanocortins acting on the central MC receptors.
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PMID:Melanocortins and feeding behavior. 1084 May 89

It has previously been demonstrated that oCRF and the CRF binding protein inhibitor CRF (6-33) reduce body-weight gain in obese Zucker rats. We investigated whether the reduction in body-weight is attributable to altered feeding and drinking behaviour. Obese Zucker rats were fitted with osmotic mini-pumps connected to i.c.v. cannulas. Vehicle, oCRF (5 microg/day) or CRF (6-33) (25 microg/day) were infused for 7 days and the animals observed for an additional 7 days. Body-weight and food and water-intake were recorded daily at 14.00 h. In agreement with published results, oCRF and CRF (6-33) significantly reduced body-weight gain in the obese Zucker rat. In addition, food intake was reduced, whereas water consumption was unaffected.
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PMID:oCRF and CRF (6-33) depress food but not water intake in the obese Zucker rat. 1099 35

Given the current global epidemic of obesity there is a demand for new anti-obesity drugs to overcome the problem. Many pharmacological agents reduce food intake and significantly decrease body mass when administered to animals but affect feeding behaviour in a profoundly different way indicating the variety of biological mechanisms by which such agents act (appetite verses non-appetite). More limited clinical data demonstrates that some of the same drugs produce decreases in food intake and weight loss in humans. A few of these drugs do so by modifying the functioning of the appetite system as measured by subjective changes in feelings of hunger and fullness (indices of satiety). These drugs that modify the daily flux of appetite could be considered as 'appetite suppressants' with clinical potential as anti-obesity agents. Drugs that can be considered suitable candidates for appetite suppressants are agents that enhance peripherally satiety peptide systems (such as CCK, Bombesin/GRP, Enterostatin and GLP-1), alter the CNS levels of various hypothalamic neuropeptides (NPY, Galanin, Orexin, CART and Melanocortins) or monoamine neurotransmitters (such as serotonin, nor-adrenaline and possibly dopamine). Recently, the hormone leptin has become regarded as a key hormonal signal linking adipose tissue status with a number of key central nervous system circuits (NPY, CART, CRF, Melanocortins and possibly Orexins). This tonic system may also provide drug targets for the control of appetite. Any changes induced by a potential appetite suppressant should be considered in terms of the (i) psychological experience and behavioural expression of appetite, (ii) metabolism and peripheral physiology, and (iii) functioning of CNS neural pathways. In humans, such modulation of appetite will involve changes in total caloric consumption, subjective changes in feelings of hunger and fullness, preferences for specific food items, and general macronutrient preferences. These may be expressed behaviourally as changes in meal patterns, snacking behaviour and food choice. Within the next 20 years it is certain that clinicians will have a new range of anti-obesity compounds available to choose from. Such novel compounds may act on a single component of the appetite system or target a combination of these components detailed in this review. Such compounds used in combination with life style changes and dietary intervention may be critical in dealing with the rising world epidemic of obesity.
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PMID:Pharmacology of appetite suppression: implication for the treatment of obesity. 1173 37

Leptin is a hormone involved with satiety and energy balance and proposed to be an anti-obesity factor. Much effort has been dedicated to the relationship between leptin and bone. This interest stems from the knowledge that body weight is a major determinant of bone density. It is known that obese persons have stronger bones and lose bone tissue at a slower pace. Therefore, attention has been given to leptin as a mediator of increased osteogenesis. Leptin has been shown to play a role on bone both in vitro and in vivo. The administration of leptin in vitro induced the expression of leptin receptors on stromal cells, the differentiation to osteoblasts and inhibition of differentiation into the adipocyte phenotype. In addition, leptin was able to inhibit osteoclastogenesis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Therefore, there is in vitro and experimental evidence that leptin is able both to stimulate osteoblasts and inhibit osteoclast differentiation. This would be in line with the hypothesis that the correlation between obesity and increased BMD is linked to leptin activity. However, experimental results are indicative of a role of CNS in mediating the effect of leptin on bone metabolism. These effects are opposite to the direct effects on bone cells and lead to bone loss. To solve the problem, it has been suggested that obese individuals have a resistance of nervous structures to leptin. In chronic renal failure serum leptin levels are markedly increased. An inverse correlation between histomorphometric parameters of bone turnover and serum leptin levels and between leptin and PTH have been reported. Therefore, the hypothesis has been raised that leptin lowers bone turnover in chronic renal failure. Since leptin has a direct stimulatory effect on bone and an indirect opposite effect via the CNS, it has been suggested that in CRF a resistance of nervous structures to leptin, like in obesity, may be present. By now, coherent findings suggest that the prevailing effect of leptin on bone in ESRD is that of reducing bone turnover.
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PMID:Leptin and bone metabolism. 1529 17

Ghrelin is upregulated under negative energy balance conditions, including starvation and hypoglycemia, while it is downregulated under situations of positive energy balance, such as feeding, hyperglycemia and obesity. The aims of this study were to assess potential ghrelin interactions with glucose levels in appetite control and to identify potential mechanisms involving orexigenic and anorexigenic ghrelin mediated signals by using a specific anti-ghrelin antibody. Our results confirm that peripheral ghrelin is an important signal in meal initiation and food intake stimulation. C-fos positive neurons in the PVN increased after insulin or 2-deoxyglucose administration. Moreover, we also demonstrate that peripheral ghrelin blockade with a specific anti-ghrelin antibody reduces, in part, the orexigenic signal induced by insulin and 2-DG administration. Furthermore, when we blocked peripheral ghrelin, c-fos positive CRF neurons and CART expression increased in the PVN, both under hypoglycemia or cytoglycopenia conditions, suggesting a neuronal activation (anorexigenic signalling) in this hypothalamic region. In summary, our findings imply that peripheral ghrelin plays an important role in regulatory "glucostatic" feeding mechanisms due to its role as a "hunger" signal affecting the PVN area, which may contribute to energy homeostasis through both orexigenic/anorexigenic pathways.
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PMID:Peripheral ghrelin participates in glucostatic feeding mechanisms and in the anorexigenic signalling mediated by CART and CRF neurons. 1666 99


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