title: Effects of corticotropin-releasing factor on food intake and brown adipose tissue thermogenesis in rats.
abstract: Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) has been administered into the third ventricle of rats in acute and chronic experiments. Following a single 5-micrograms injection of CRF, there was an acute reduction in food intake at 30 and 60 min that was no longer significant at 3 h. Guanosine 5'-diphosphate (GDP) binding to mitochondria from interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT) of 21-h deprived rats was significantly increased 30 min after the acute infusion of 5 micrograms of CRF. Serum corticosterone was elevated in both groups but was significantly higher in the group treated with CRF. Serum glucose was unchanged. During a 7-day infusion of CRF (4.8 micrograms/day) into the third ventricle, the treated animals showed a slight, but significant, decrease in food intake but a progressive decline in body weight of 53 g over 7 days. Mitochondrial GDP binding was increased in the ad libitum-fed rats chronically treated with CRF. Serum corticosterone levels, although significantly higher than controls, were lower than following acute administration of CRF. These data show that CRF can acutely reduce food intake and increase sympathetic activity and that chronically it reduces body weight and may increase sympathetic activity without any consistent decrease in food intake.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles 90033.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Arase
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: York
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shargill
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Bray
mesh_terms: D002001:Adipose Tissue, Brown / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D006153:Guanosine Diphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012016:Reference Values; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D006153:Guanosine Diphosphate; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; D003345:Corticosterone