title: Effects of fluoxetine administration on hypothalamic melanocortin system in obese Zucker rats.
abstract: The aim of the present work was to study the potential involvement of melanocortin system in the anorectic mechanism of fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, in obese Zucker rats. Male obese Zucker (fa/fa) rats were administered fluoxetine (10 mg/kg; i.p.) daily for two weeks. The control group was given 0.9% NaCl solution. RT-PCR for pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), Agouti gene related peptide (AgRP) and melanocortin receptor 4 (MC4-R) in the hypothalamus, as well as regional immunostaining for alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) and MC4-R were carried out. Fluoxetine administration increased POMC expression and reduced MC4-R expression in the hypothalamus, without changes in AgRP mRNA levels. Moreover, an increase in the numbers of alpha-MSH positively immunostained neural cells in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC), as well as a significant decrease in the numbers of neural cells positively immunostained for MC4-R in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN), without changes in lateral hypothalamic area (LHA), were observed. These results suggest the involvement of alpha-MSH in central fluoxetine anorectic action.
authors: Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of the Basque Country, Paseo de la Universidad 7, Vitoria, Spain. itziar.txurruka@ehu.es
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Churruca
authors: M P
authors: MP
authors: Portillo
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Casis
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Gutiérrez
authors: M T
authors: MT
authors: Macarulla
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Echevarría
mesh_terms: D054369:Agouti-Related Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001067:Appetite Depressants; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D017931:DNA Primers; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects; D005473:Fluoxetine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism*; D011333:Pro-Opiomelanocortin / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D012313:RNA / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D044105:Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 4 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000521:alpha-MSH / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D054369:Agouti-Related Protein; D001067:Appetite Depressants; D017931:DNA Primers; D005473:Fluoxetine; D011333:Pro-Opiomelanocortin; D012313:RNA; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D044105:Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 4; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; D000521:alpha-MSH; C515197:AGRP protein, rat