title: The effects of chronic central administration of corticotropin-releasing factor on food intake, body weight, and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical hormones.
abstract: The effects of chronic central administration of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) on food intake, body weight, and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical hormones were investigated in rats. The infusion of ovine CRF at doses of 0.3 and 1.0 microgram/h continuously induced decrease in food intake and a suppression of body-weight gain for 7 days. The inhibition of body weight gain induced by CRF could not be accounted for solely by a decreased food intake since the suppression of body-weight gain in CRF-infused rats was significantly greater than that observed in rats which received the same amount of food as the CRF-infused rats. The content of proopiomelanocortin (POMC) -derived peptides in the anterior lobe of the pituitary as well as the plasma levels of ACTH and corticosterone (B) were significantly elevated in CRF-treated rats, and the CRF content in the hypothalamus was significantly decreased. These results suggest that chronic intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of CRF stimulates the synthesis and secretion of POMC-related peptides in the pituitary and suppresses food intake accompanied by inhibition of body weight gain. The results are similar to clinical and laboratory findings observed in patients with stress-induced anorexia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Tokyo Women's Medical College, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hotta
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shibasaki
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yamauchi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohno
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Benoit
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ling
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Demura
mesh_terms: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects*; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000378:metabolism; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000378:metabolism; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000187:drug effects*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D011333:Pro-Opiomelanocortin / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D011333:Pro-Opiomelanocortin; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; D003345:Corticosterone