title: Alpha-interferon suppresses food intake and neuronal activity of the lateral hypothalamus.
abstract: Alpha-interferon (alpha-IFN) treatment in humans induces anorexic effects. However, the mechanisms and sites of action are unknown. Rats implanted with an intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) cannula for local injection, and semi-microelectrodes in the lateral hypothalamic (LH) area for neuronal recording were used. The animals were kept in metabolic cages, and food and water intake was measured daily at 7:00 and 19:00 hr for 35 days, including: 5 days before the experiment; 10 days during daily alpha-IFN application (either i.p. 1500 I.U./gbw, or i.c.v. 1500 and 150 I.U./animal) and/or a vehicle control group; and 20 days post drug treatment. The unitary activity recording from the LH area was made before (30 min), during (10 min) and after (200 min) the alpha-IFN applications. alpha-IFN elicited a reversible dose-related decrease of both food intake and body weight. This decrease in food intake following alpha-IFN injections was correlated with a depression of LH neuronal electrical activity. Since direct brain application (i.c.v.) and systemic (i.p.) alpha-IFN treatment elicited identical responses, it is possible to assume that alpha-IFN suppresses food intake by a direct action on CNS sites including the LH neurons.
authors.affiliation: Departmento de Farmacologia, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Reyes-Vázquez
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Prieto-Gómez
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dafny
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects*; D004567:Electrodes, Implanted; D007026:Hypothalamic Area, Lateral / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008839:Microelectrodes; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D016898:Interferon-alpha