Intestinal inflammation influences α-MSH reactive autoantibodies: Relevance to food intake and body weight

• Published in: Psychoneuroendocrinology Vol. 37; no. 1; pp. 94 - 106
• Main Authors: Coquerel, Quentin, Sinno, Maria Hamze, Boukhettala, Nabile, Coëffier, Moïse, Terashi, Mutsumi, Bole-Feysot, Christine, Breuillé, Denis, Déchelotte, Pierre, Fetissov, Sergueï O
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2012; Elsevier
• Subjects: alpha-MSH - blood; alpha-MSH - immunology; alpha-MSH - physiology; Animals; Anorexia - blood; Anorexia - chemically induced; Anorexia - complications; Anorexia - immunology; Anorexia - physiopathology; Autoantibodies; Autoantibodies - blood; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Body weight; Body Weight - immunology; Body Weight - physiology; Brain; Cancer chemotherapy; Disease Models, Animal; Drinking - immunology; Drinking - physiology; Eating - immunology; Eating - physiology; Endocrinology & Metabolism; Food intake; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hormones and behavior; Humans; Hypothalamus; Immunoglobulin G - blood; Immunoglobulin G - pharmacology; Intestinal inflammation; Male; Methotrexate; Mucositis - blood; Mucositis - chemically induced; Mucositis - complications; Mucositis - immunology; Mucositis - physiopathology; Neuropeptides; Peptide hormones; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Rabbits; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Brain; Cancer chemotherapy; Autoantibodies; Food intake; Body weight; Intestinal inflammation; Neuropeptides; Hypothalamus; Peptide hormones; Autoimmunity; α-Melanocyte stimulating hormone; Central nervous system; Peptide hormone; Pharmacotherapy; Inflammation; Malignant tumor; Neuropeptide; Feeding; Encephalon; Pituitary hormone; Chemotherapy; Treatment; Cancer
• ISSN: 0306-4530; 1873-3360
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2011.05.008

Summary Autoantibodies reacting with alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH), an anorexigenic neuropeptide, are involved in regulation of feeding. In this work we studied if intestinal inflammation (mucositis) may influence α-MSH autoantibodies production relevant to food intake and body weight. Mucositis and anorexia were produced in Sprague–Dawley rats by methotrexate (MTX, 2.5 mg/kg/day, for three days, subcutaneously). Plasma levels of total IgG and of α-MSH autoantibodies were measured during and after MTX-induced mucositis and were compared with pair-fed and ad libitum-fed controls. Effects of intraperitoneal injections of rabbit anti-α-MSH IgG (3 or 10 μg/day/rat) on MTX-induced anorexia and on plasma α-MSH peptide concentration were separately studied. Here we show that in MTX rats, intestinal mucositis and anorexia were accompanied by decreased plasma levels of both total IgG and of α-MSH autoantibodies while refeeding was characterized by their elevated levels. In spite of similar food intake in MTX and pair-fed rats, recovery of body weight was delayed by at least 1 week in the MTX group. During refeeding and body weight deficit in MTX rats, α-MSH IgG autoantibody levels correlated negatively with food to water intake ratios. Injections of anti-α-MSH IgG induced a dose-dependent attenuation of food intake and body weight regain in MTX-treated rats accompanied by increased concentrations of α-MSH peptide which correlated positively with plasma levels of α-MSH autoantibodies. These data show that intestinal inflammation, independently from food restriction, affects general humoral immune response which may influence food intake and body weight control via modulation of α-MSH plasma concentration by α-MSH reactive autoantibodies.