title: Metformin inhibits food intake and neuropeptide Y gene expression in the hypothalamus.
abstract: Metformin may reduce food intake and body weight, but the anorexigenic effects of metformin are still poorly understood. In this study, Sprague-Dawley rats were administered a single intracere-broventricular dose of metformin and compound C, in a broader attempt to investigate the regula-tory effects of metformin on food intake and to explore the possible mechanism. Results showed that central administration of metformin significantly reduced food intake and body weight gain, par-ticularly after 4 hours. A reduction of neuropeptide Y expression and induction of AMP-activated protein kinase phosphorylation in the hypothalamus were also observed 4 hours after metformin administration, which could be reversed by compound C, a commonly-used antagonist of AMP-activated protein kinase. Furthermore, metformin also improved lipid metabolism by reducing plasma low-density lipoprotein. Our findings suggest that under normal physiological conditions, central regulation of appetite by metformin is related to a decrease in neuropeptide Y gene expres-sion, and that the activation of AMP-activated protein kinase may simply be a response to the anorexigenic effect of metformin.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China.
authors.forename: Yale
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center Affiliated to Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China.
authors.forename: Lijuan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China.
authors.forename: Suzhen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center Affiliated to Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China.
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center Affiliated to Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China.
authors.forename: Zheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhao
keywords: AMP-activated protein kinase; body weight gain; food intake; grants-supported paper; hypothalamus; metformin; neural regeneration; neuropeptide Y; neuroregeneration