title: Effects of dl-fenfluramine and xylamidine on gastric emptying of maintenance diet in freely feeding rats.
abstract: Freely feeding rats received an anorexigenic dose of dl-fenfluramine HCl (5 mg/kg). Two hours following injection, their stomachs retained significantly greater dry weight contents than saline-injected controls. The same dose of fenfluramine decreased the rate of gastric emptying over a 2 h period to a similar extent in mildly food-deprived rats. The peripherally acting serotonin antagonist xylamidine counteracted the effect of fenfluramine in prolonging the satiating effect of an ad libitum meal of a given size. We propose therefore that the principal mechanism by which fenfluramine reduces food consumption in freely feeding rats is through a prolongation of the satiating effect of absorption as a result of slowing of gastric emptying, presumably via enhanced release of serotonin from nerve terminals in the wall of the gastrointestinal tract.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Birmingham, England.
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Duggan
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Barber
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Booth
mesh_terms: D000578:Amidines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet; D005277:Fenfluramine / Q000494:pharmacology; D005746:Gastric Emptying / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D012528:Satiety Response / Q000502:physiology; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000578:Amidines; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists; D005277:Fenfluramine; C005894:xylamidine