title: Effects of octreotide on nitric oxide synthase expression in the small intestine of high fat diet-induced obese rats.
abstract: CONCLUSIONS
  
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether obesity induced by high fat diet is associated with expression of neuronal, endothelial, and inducible nitric oxide synthase (nNOS, eNOS, and iNOS) in the intestine, and to test the effects of the somatostatin analog octreotide on this expression.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included high fat diet-induced obese and normal control rats. The obese rats were further separated into an obese control group and an octreotide intervention group. Rats in the intervention group were injected with 40 μg/kg octreotide every 12 h for 8 days. Expressions of nNOS, eNOS, and iNOS in the small intestine were analyzed by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. The NO level of small intestinal homogenate was measured with an ELISA kit.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The body weight; Lee's index; small intestinal eNOS and iNOS mRNA and protein expression levels; nNOS protein expression levels; and small intestinal homogenate NO levels were all significantly higher in the obese control group than in the normal controls (p < 0.01); nNOS mRNA expression was also higher in the obese control group, but not significantly so. Octreotide intervention significantly reduced the body weight and small intestinal homogenate NO level of the obese rats relative to the obese control group (p < 0.05). The mRNA and protein expression levels of eNOS and iNOS; the protein expression level of nNOS in the small intestine were also significantly lower in the octreotide intervention group than in the obese control group (p < 0.01), while nNOS mRNA expression was lower but not significantly so.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High fat diet-induced obesity is associated with elevated small intestinal nNOS, eNOS, and iNOS expression levels. Octreotide treatment can inhibit nNOS, eNOS, and iNOS expression and lead to weight loss.
authors: Department of Gastroenterology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China.
authors: Yan
authors: Y
authors: Ou
authors: Division of Peptides Related to Human Disease, National Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China. Electronic address:lrui60@yahoo.com.cn.
authors: Rui
authors: R
authors: Liu
authors: Department of Gastroenterology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China.
authors: Na
authors: N
authors: Wei
authors: Division of Peptides Related to Human Disease, National Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China.
authors: Xian
authors: X
authors: Li
authors: Division of Peptides Related to Human Disease, National Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China.
authors: Ou
authors: O
authors: Qiang
authors: Department of Gastroenterology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China.
authors: Wei
authors: W
authors: Huang
authors: Department of Gastroenterology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China.
authors: Chengwei
authors: C
authors: Tang