title: Central administration of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone changes lipid metabolism in chicks.
abstract: Alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) is well known as an anorexigenic peptide in the brain of mammals. In addition to this, brain alpha-MSH enhances heat production (HP), indicating that the peptide acts as a catabolic factor in the regulation of energy metabolism. The anorexigenic effect of alpha-MSH is also observed in chicks (Gallus gallus), but no information has been available for its effect on HP. The present study was performed to examine whether intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of alpha-MSH increases HP in chicks. The injection of alpha-MSH (10 and 100 pmol) did not affect oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production and HP during the 1 h post-injection period. This result was supported by another result that ICV injection of alpha-MSH did not affect locomotion activity in chicks. In contrast, the respiratory quotient was significantly lowered by the ICV injection of MSH. We also found that alpha-MSH significantly increased plasma non-esterified fatty acid concentrations. In summary, brain alpha-MSH appears to exert generally catabolic effects on lipid metabolism in the chick, but does not appear to be involved in the regulation of HP.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Advanced Animal and Marine Bioresources, Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan. tetsu@agr.ehime-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tachibana
authors.forename: Daichi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Oikawa
authors.forename: Nami
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Adachi
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Boswell
authors.forename: Mitsuhiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Furuse
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000378:metabolism; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D002645:Chickens / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D050356:Lipid Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D012119:Respiration; D022722:Thermogenesis / Q000187:drug effects*; D013997:Time Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D000521:alpha-MSH / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified; D014280:Triglycerides; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D000521:alpha-MSH