Hormonal Regulation of Appetite and Satiety Flashcards
Biological factors that influence the oneset of obesity
Genetics -> susceptibility genes increase risk of developing disease but are often not essential for disease expression
Environment -> unmask latent tendencies to develop obesity
Health complications associated with obesity
T2DM, high BP, heart attack, cancers, osteoarthritis, COVID-19
Why we need fat
Energy storage, prevention of starvation, energy reserves
Role of hypothalamus in metabolic homeostasis
Integrates signals from the CNS; brain balances weight through orexigenic and anorexigenic pathways, which alter food intake, energy storage, and energy expenditure
Lesion in lateral hypothalamus (hunger centre)
Anorexia
Lesion in ventromedial hypothalamus (satiety centre)
Obesity
Melanocortins (alpha-MSH) : Anorexigenic
- Formed by sequential cleavages of the proopiomelanocortin (POMC) precursor polypeptide
- POMC gene expression = reduced in fasting
- alpha-MSH levels are high in hypothalamus
- Receptor subtypes MC-3 and MC-4 are mainly expressed in the brain -> synthetic agonists/antagonists suppress and enhance food intake respectively
- Deletion of receptor subtypes produces obesity in mice
Neuropeptide Y (NPY) : Orexigenic
- 36 aa peptide
- Lots of NPY containing neurons in ARC of hypothalamus
- Injection of NPY into hypothalamus stimulates food intake and reduces energy expenditure
- Repeated administration = obesity
- NPY receptor agonists attenuate feeding, reduce obesity
- Mice lacking receptor subtypes Y1 or Y5 are pre-disposed to obesity
Agouti-related Protein (AgRP) : Orexigenic
- Co-expresses with NPY in ARC neurons
- Antagonists to MC3 and MC4 receptors
- Intracerebroventricular (ICV) AgRP causes long lasting hyperphagia
Leptin (adiposity signal)
- member of cytokine family, secreted from adipocytes
- circulates in proportion to fat mass
- specific transport system for leptin to enter brain
- high levels of leptin receptors (Ob-Rb) expressed on ARC hypothalamic neurons
- ICV leptin inhibits food intake and decreases body weight of rodents
- neuron-specific deletion of leptin receptor = obesity
Biological roles of leptin
Food intake/energy expenditure/fat deposition
Peripheral glucose homeostasis/insulin sensitivity
Maintenance of immune system
Maintenance of reproductive system
Angiogenesis (formation of new blood vessels)
Tumorigenesis
Bone formation
Insulin (adiposity signal)
- Ciruclates in proportion to adiposity
- Transport system for insulin to enter brain
- High levels of insulin receptors expressed in hypothalamus (ARC mostly)
- ICV insulin inhibits food intake and decreases body weight of rodents
- Neuron-specific deletion of the insulin receptor = obesity
PERIPHERAL ACTIONS ARE OPPOSITE
Animal modes of obesity
- Rodent models of obesity play a key role in elucidating neural pathways
- Spontaneous monogenic mutations in mouse strains resulting in obesity
Agouti and obesity
- small protein, natural antagonist of melanocortin 1 (MC-1) receptor in melanocytes (responsible for hair colour)
- mutation results in gene rearrangement causing ubiquitous ectopic expression
- Ay mutation leads to obesity
- Ay is also antagonist for hypothalamic MC-4-receptor (cause of obesity in mouse model)
Zucker fa/fa (rat)
Ob-R gene: decreases functional leptin receptor: leads to obesity and leptin resistance