title: Thermoregulatory effect of alarin, a new member of the galanin peptide family.
abstract: In the background of obesity, among other factors, regulatory alterations in energy balance affecting peptide systems may also be assumed. Regulation of energy balance does not only involve maintenance of body weight but also that of metabolic rate and core temperature. The contribution of alarin, a new member of the potentially orexigenic galanin peptide family, to the regulation of energy metabolism has been recently suggested. Our aim was to analyze the thermoregulatory effects of alarin in rats.   Adult male Wistar rats received full-length alarin (alarin 1-25), its truncated form (alarin 6-25Cys) or scrambled alarin in various doses intracerebroventricularly at different ambient temperatures. Oxygen consumption, heat loss (assessed by tail skin temperature) and core temperature of rats were recorded in an indirect calorimeter system. Upon alarin injection at 25 °C, an increase in oxygen consumption and continuous tail skin vasoconstriction induced a slow rise in core temperature that reached 0.5 °C by 120 and 1.0 °C by 180 min. At cooler or slightly warmer temperatures similar responses were seen. Neither the truncated nor the scrambled alarin elicited any significant thermoregulatory response, however, the truncated form antagonized the hyperthermic actions of the full-length peptide. Alarin appears to elicit a slow hypermetabolic, hyperthermic response in rats. Such a thermoregulatory response would characterize a catabolic (anorexic and hypermetabolic) mediator. Further investigations are needed to clarify the complex role of alarin in energy homeostasis.
authors: Department of Pathophysiology and Gerontology; Medical School; University of Pécs; Pécs, Hungary.
authors: Alexandra
authors: A
authors: Mikó
authors: Department of Pathophysiology and Gerontology; Medical School; University of Pécs; Pécs, Hungary.
authors: Péter
authors: P
authors: Balla
authors: Department of Pathophysiology and Gerontology; Medical School; University of Pécs; Pécs, Hungary.
authors: Judit
authors: J
authors: Tenk
authors: Department of Pathophysiology and Gerontology; Medical School; University of Pécs; Pécs, Hungary.
authors: Márta
authors: M
authors: Balaskó
authors: Department of Pathophysiology and Gerontology; Medical School; University of Pécs; Pécs, Hungary.
authors: Szilvia
authors: S
authors: Soós
authors: Department of Pathophysiology and Gerontology; Medical School; University of Pécs; Pécs, Hungary.
authors: Miklós
authors: M
authors: Székely
authors: Laura Bassi Centre of Expertise; THERAPEP, Research Program for Receptor Biochemistry and Tumor Metabolism; Department of Pediatrics; Paracelsus Medical University; Salzburg, Austria.
authors: Susanne
authors: S
authors: Brunner
authors: Laura Bassi Centre of Expertise; THERAPEP, Research Program for Receptor Biochemistry and Tumor Metabolism; Department of Pediatrics; Paracelsus Medical University; Salzburg, Austria.
authors: Barbara
authors: B
authors: Kofler
authors: Department of Pathophysiology and Gerontology; Medical School; University of Pécs; Pécs, Hungary.
authors: Erika
authors: E
authors: Pétervári
keywords: alarin; body temperature; energy balance; galanin peptide family; heat loss; metabolic rate