Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1999 Feb 13;818(2):499-509.
doi: 10.1016/s0006-8993(98)01349-3.

Recombinant CART peptide induces c-Fos expression in central areas involved in control of feeding behaviour

N Vrang  1 , M Tang-Christensen, P J Larsen, P Kristensen
Affiliations

Recombinant CART peptide induces c-Fos expression in central areas involved in control of feeding behaviour

N Vrang et al. Brain Res. .

Abstract

We have recently shown that the hypothalamic neuropeptide CART (cocaine-amphetamine-regulated-transcript) is a leptin dependent endogenous satiety factor in the rat. In the present study we confirm and extend our previous observations by showing that intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administered CART(42-89) dose-dependently inhibits 3-h food intake in food restricted rats with a lowest effective dose of 0.5 microgram. CART also potently inhibits NPY-induced food intake in satiated rats as well as nighttime food intake in free feeding animals. To identify brain areas potentially involved in mediating the anorectic effects of CART, the temporal expression pattern of the immediate early gene c-fos was examined in the central nervous system by immunohistochemistry in rats receiving recombinant CART. Compared to vehicle, CART induced c-Fos expression in several hypothalamic and brainstem structures implicated in the central control of food intake. In the hypothalamus, high numbers of c-Fos immunoreactive (-ir) cells were observed in the medial parvocellular part of the paraventricular nucleus and in the posterior part of the dorsomedial nucleus. Lower numbers of c-Fos positive nuclei were found in the supraoptic and arcuate nuclei. A relatively high number of c-Fos-ir cells was found in the central nucleus of the amygdala. In the brainstem, c-Fos-positive nuclei were found in the parabrachial nucleus, and in the nucleus of the solitary tract. Notably both the area postrema and the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus were virtually devoid of c-Fos-ir cells. The present experiments suggest that CART peptide exerts its inhibitory effects on appetite by activating hypothalamic and brainstem neurones implicated in the central control of feeding behaviour and metabolism.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources