title: Neuropeptide Y counteracts interferon-alpha-induced anorexia.
abstract: Interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) immunotherapy is associated with significant adverse neurological effects, including anorexia, which can be a limiting factor in immunotherapy. Thus, it is important to develop strategies that could ameliorate IFN-alpha-induced neurological manifestations without significantly affecting its immunomodulating properties. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that an endogenous feeding-enhancing peptide, neuropeptide Y (NPY), could inhibit IFN-alpha-induced anorexia in rats. The results show that IFN-alpha induced significant anorexia when administered centrally into the third cerebral ventricle at an immunotherapeutically relevant dose (1,350 IU/rat). Heat-inactivated IFN-alpha had no effect. NPY (5.0 microg/rat) counteracted the IFN-alpha-induced anorexia when administered 3 or 10 h following IFN-alpha, or when it was concomitantly administered with IFN-alpha. The data suggest that NPY and its agonists could represent a potential novel intervention for IFN-alpha immunotherapy-associated anorexia.
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Biology, School of Life and Health Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA.
authors.forename: N P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Turrin
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Flynn
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Plata-Salamán
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000855:Anorexia / Q000139:chemically induced*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D004347:Drug Interactions; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000187:drug effects; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D008297:Male; D009478:Neuropeptide Y / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D016898:Interferon-alpha; D009478:Neuropeptide Y