Effect of LPS administration on the expression of POMC, NPY, galanin, CART and MCH mRNAs in the rat hypothalamus

• Published in: Brain research. Molecular brain research. Vol. 90; no. 2; pp. 93 - 100
• Main Authors: Sergeyev, Valeriy, Broberger, Christian, Hökfelt, Tomas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 20.06.2001; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Anorexia; Anorexia - physiopathology; Arcuate nucleus; Arcuate Nucleus of Hypothalamus - physiology; Biological and medical sciences; cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript; Eating - drug effects; Eating - physiology; Feeding; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Galanin - genetics; Gene Expression - drug effects; Hypothalamic Area, Lateral - physiology; Hypothalamic Hormones - genetics; In Situ Hybridization; Inflammation; Lateral hypothalamus; Leptin; Lipopolysaccharides - pharmacology; Male; Melanins - genetics; Molecular and cellular biology; Nerve Tissue Proteins - genetics; Neuropeptide Y - genetics; Neuropeptides; Pituitary Hormones - genetics; Pro-Opiomelanocortin - genetics; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; RNA, Messenger - analysis; IL, Interleukin; MCH, Melanin-concentrating hormone; Anorexia; α-MSH, α-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone; POMC, Pro-opiomelanocortin; Arcuate nucleus; NPY, Neuropeptide Y; Endocrine and autonomic regulation; Lateral hypothalamus; Neuropeptides; Inflammation; Feeding; LHA, Lateral hypothalamic area; TNF-α, Tumour necrosis factor-α; Leptin; CART, Cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript; LPS, Lipopolysaccharide; Neuropeptide Y; Galanin; Rat; Rodentia; Central nervous system; Hypothalamus; Gene expression; Prohormone; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Melanin concentrating hormone; Proopiocortin; Lipopolysaccharide; Brain (vertebrata)
• ISSN: 0169-328X; 1872-6941
• DOI: 10.1016/S0169-328X(01)00088-2

Anorexia and weight loss are manifestations of inflammation seen both in patients and in experimental animal models such as the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated rat. Using in situ hybridization, the levels of mRNAs encoding proopiomelanocortin (POMC), neuropeptide Y (NPY), galanin, melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) and cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) were investigated in the rat hypothalamus after a single intraperitoneal dose (125 μg/kg) of LPS. Four hours after LPS injection the food intake was significantly decreased. POMC and CART mRNA levels were increased in the arcuate nucleus, and MCH, CART and galanin mRNAs were all decreased in the lateral hypothalamic area in LPS-treated rats. Levels of mRNAs for NPY and galanin in the arcuate nucleus, and for MCH and CART in the zona incerta did not change significantly after LPS treatment. These findings support the hypothesis that LPS-induced factors mediate signalling to the POMC/CART neurons in the arcuate nucleus which could lead to reduced food intake by decreasing MCH, CART and galanin synthesis in target lateral hypothalamic neurons.