title: Anorexic behavior and elevation of hypothalamic malonyl-CoA in socially defeated rats.
abstract: Suppression of body weight and eating disorders, such as anorexia, are one of the major symptoms of psychiatric disorders such as depression. However, the mechanisms of weight loss and reduced appetite in depressive patients and in animal models of depression are largely unknown. In this study, we characterized the mechanism of anorexia resulting from depression using socially defeated rats as an animal model of depression. Socially defeated rats showed suppressed body weight gain, enlarged adrenal glands, decreased home cage activity, decreased food intake, and increased immobility in the forced swim test. These results are representative of some of the core symptoms of depression. Simultaneously, we observed decreased levels of phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) carboxylase (ACC) and increased levels of malonyl-CoA in the hypothalamus of socially defeated rats. Hypothalamic malonyl-CoA controlled feeding behavior and elevation of malonyl-CoA in the hypothalamus induced inhibition of food intake. Our findings suggest that the suppression of body weight gain caused by social defeat stress is caused by anorexic feeding behavior via an increased concentration of malonyl-CoA in the hypothalamus.
authors.affiliation: College of Agriculture, Ibaraki University, Ami, Ibaraki 300-0393, Japan.
authors.forename: Wataru
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Iio
authors.forename: Yuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tokutake
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Matsukawa
authors.forename: Takamitsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsukahara
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chohnan
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Toyoda
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000855:Anorexia / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000523:psychology*; D001070:Appetitive Behavior; D001835:Body Weight; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications*; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000201:enzymology*; D008297:Male; D008316:Malonyl Coenzyme A / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications
chemical_list: D008316:Malonyl Coenzyme A