title: The influence of cocaine-amphetamine regulated transcript (CART) on pituitary hormones, corticosterone and leptin levels in starved rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  CART is involved in the control of food intake and hormonal secretion. We aimed to evaluate the effects of CART on hormonal profile in starved rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Study group included 100 male rats. Under conditions of food limitation CART (55-102) was given centrally (icv) or peripherally (iv). Non-starved animals underwent identical procedure. Vehicle (aCSF or saline)-injected rats served and as a controls. 60 minutes after CART or vehicle administration blood was collected to assess pituitary hormones (LH, FSH, PRL, GH, ACTH, TSH), corticosterone and leptin concentrations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Itracerebroventricular CART injection resulted in a significant increase in PRL, GH and corticosterone concentrations in non-starved rats compared with vehicle injected animals. However, in a group of starved animals only leptin levels were decreased in comparison with fasted controls. Peripheral CART administration caused a significant increase in PRL, GH and TSH levels in non-starved rats but no changes in investigated hormone levels were observed in starved animals when compared to saline injected controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that CART is able to modulate hormonal profile in a non-starved rats. However, the modulatory effect depends on the CART administration method. Interestingly, CART administration, both icv and iv, does not have an impact on pituitary hormones and corticosterone levels in a course of food limitation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroendocrinology Medical Centre of Postgraduate Education, Warsaw, Poland. zncmkp@op.pl
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chmielowska
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baranowska-Bik
authors.forename: Boguslawa
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Baranowska
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wolinska-Witort
authors.forename: Lidia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Martynska
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bik
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood*; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology; D005215:Fasting / Q000502:physiology*; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000494:pharmacology; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D010908:Pituitary Hormones, Anterior / Q000097:blood*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D000098882:Cocaine- and Amphetamine-Regulated Transcript Protein
chemical_list: D020738:Leptin; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D010908:Pituitary Hormones, Anterior; D000098882:Cocaine- and Amphetamine-Regulated Transcript Protein; D003345:Corticosterone