[Effect of eight weeks aerobic exercise on plasma level of agouti-related protein, glycated hemoglobin and glucose in non-active type II diabetic women]

Background and Objective: Diabetes mellitus is the most common type of metabolic diseases which is characterized with hyperglycemia due to implicit or relative insulin deficiency. Diabetes mellitus is acutely related to obesity. Agouti-related protein [AGRP] has 132 amino acids and increases appetite in humans. This study was done to determine the effect of eight weeks aerobic exercise on plasma level of agouti-related protein, glycated hemoglobin and glucose in non-active type II diabetic women

Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 30 female diabetic patients were divided into exercise and control groups. The training program was performed 3 sessions a week in course of 8 weeks, each session was last for 60 minutes, and the controls did not have any exercise. The plasma level of agouti-related protein, glycated hemoglobin and glucose were measured

Results: There was no significant alteration in the level of AGRP, HbA1c and glucose in either exercise or control groups. There was no significant relation between AGRP with glucose, AGRP with HbA1c and HbA1c with glucose in the exercise and control groups

Conclusion: Eight weeks of aerobic exercise is not enough for making any changes on plasma level of AGRP, HbA1c and glucose in non-active type II diabetic women

Ghrelin acts on rat dorsal vagal complex to stimulate feeding via arcuate neuropeptide Y/agouti-related peptide neurons activation / 生理学报

Ghrelin, an endogenous ligand for the growth hormone secretagogue (GHS) receptor, stimulates feeding and increases body weight. The primary action site of ghrelin has been reported to be the neuropeptide Y (NPY)/agouti-related peptide (AgRP) neurons in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC). In addition to the hypothalamus, the caudal brainstem also appears to be an important mediator for the orexigenic activity of ghrelin. However, it is not clear whether ghrelin applied directly to the caudal brainstem activates forebrain structures. The aim of this study was to determine whether recruitment of forebrain structures was required for hyperphagic responses stimulated by ghrelin delivery within the caudal brainstem. In our experiment, all rats were surgically implanted with indwelling cannulas in the dorsal vagal complex (DVC), and ghrelin (20 pmol in 0.5 μL) was delivered to the DVC. After the injection, the orexigenic response to ghrelin was recorded by Feeding and Activity Analyser, and NPY/AgRP mRNA expressions in rat hypothalamus were detected by real-time PCR. In addition, the NPY immunoreactive neurons in the ARC were assayed by immunohistochemistry. The results showed that ghrelin significantly increased cumulative food intake at 1, 2 and 3 h after ghrelin injection, maximal response occurring at 2 h after injection. NPY/AgRP mRNA levels in ARC treated with ghrelin increased significantly compared with those in control group (injected with saline). The highest levels of NPY and AgRP mRNA were detected at 2 h after injection. The total number and mean optical density of NPY-positive neurons increased in ghrelin treated rats compared with those in control group. Consistently, ghrelin's effect was most pronounced at 2 h after injection. Taken together, we conclude that the activation of NPY/AgRP neurons in the ARC is involved in the mediation of the hyperphagic response to brainstem ghrelin administration in neurologically intact rats.

Programação do processo fome-saciedade de animais desnutridos no início da lactação: papel do NPY/AgRP e POMC / Programming hunger-satiety process of malnourished animals in early lactation: role of NPY/AgRP and POMC

A modulação do processo fome-saciedade é um fator determinante para o crescimento normal dos sistemas metabólicos. Tem sido demonstrado que variações nutricionais nos períodos pré e pós-natal induzem modificações nas projeções e/ou contatos dos circuitos neuronais hipotalâmicos, gerando uma "reprogramação" deste sistema que envolve mecanismos de interação da ação primária de hormônios como leptina em neurônios orexigênico (NPY/AgRP) anorexigênicos (POMC) no núcleo arqueado, para regular o comportamento alimentar. O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar a programação do processo fome-saciedade no núcleo arqueado hipotalâmico, em curto e longo prazos, em animais que foram desnutridos no início da lactação. Para isso, utilizamos ratos Wister desnutridos nos primeiros 10 dias de lactação com a utilização de dieta materna com 0% de proteína e que foram submetidos a novo período de desnutrição protéica na fase adulta (60 dias de idade) por 3 dias. Para o estudo do processo fome-saciedade, as variáveis avaliadas foram peso corporal, razão peso corporal / consumo alimentar, conteúdos de receptores de leptina (Ob-Rb) e de neuropeptídeos hipotalâmicos (NPY/AgRP e POMC). Observamos que ao final de 10 dias de desnutrição na lactação, os animais desnutridos apresentaram menor peso corporal (FD - fêmea desnutrida, 50% e MD - macho desnutrido, 53%) e aumento dos conteúdos de Ob-Rb (FD: 121,67% e MD: 132,73%), NPY/AgRP (FD: 32,31% e MD: 115,62%) e POMC (FD: 71,2% e MD: 26,58%). Aos 60 dias de vida, os animais desnutridos apresentaram maior razão peso corporal / consumo alimentar e não evidenciamos diferença nos conteúdos de Ob-Rb, NPY/AgRP e POMC (p<-0,05). Aos 63 dias de vida, fêmeas (FDD) e machos desnutridos (MDD), após um segundo episódio de desnutrição, apresentaram redução de peso corporal (FDD: 12,4% e MDD: 10,75%) e consumo alimentar (FDD: 57,5% e MDD: 39,88%). O conteúdo dos neuropeptídeos orexigênicos (NPY/AgRP)...

The modulation of the hunger-satiety process is a determining factor for the normal growth of the metabolic systems. It has been demonstrated that nutritional variations during pre- and postnatal lead to modifications in projetions and/or contacts of hypothalamic neuronal circuits generating a "reprogramation" of this system, which involves mechanisms of interation of primary action of hormone as leptin in NPY/AgRP and POMC neurons in the arcuate nucleus, to regulate eating behavior. Our aim was to study the programation in the hunger-satiety process in the arcuate nucleus, in the short and long terms, in animals that were malnourished during the early lactation period. In the present study we used Wistar rats that were malnourished during the first 10 days of lactation (0% protein maternal diet) and that were submitted to new a period of malnutrition at adulthood (60 days-old) for 3 days. To study the hunger-satiety process, the variables evaluated were: body weight, body weight/food intake ratio, hypothalamic content of the leptin receptor (Ob-Rb) and the orexigenic NPY/AgRP and anorexigenic POMC neuropeptides. We observed at the end of 10 days of malnutrition during lactation, that the malnourished animals had lower body weight (MF - malnourished female, 50% and MM - malnourished male, 53%) and higher content of Ob-Rb (MF: 121,67% and MM: 132,73%), NPY/AgRP (MF: 32,31% e MM: 115,62%) and POMC (MF: 71,2% e MM: 26,58%). At 60 days, the malnourished animals had higher body weight/food intake ratio and showed no change in the Ob-Rb, NPY/AgRP and POMC content (p<-0,05). At 63 days of life, malnourished female and male after a second episode of malnutrition, had lower body weight (MMF: 12,4% and MMM: 10,75%) and food intake (MMF: 57,5% and MMM: 39,88%). The content of neuropeptides (NPY/AgRP) was significantly lower (MMF: 22,6% and MMM: 26,58%), while the content of Ob-Rb (MMF: 92,27% and MMM: 28%) and POMC neuropeptide (MMF: 22,34% and MMM:27,27%)...

A Case of Obese Patient Associated with Melanocortin 4 Receptor (MC4R) Mutation / 대한소아내분비학회지

There is now widespread recognition that the continuing increase in the prevalence of obesity seen in many countries is likely to have major adverse effects on public health. And genetic factors are important that make individual difference of obesity's severity and expressive time. So it is important roles of study for obesity related genes that have been necessary to development of drug and program to diet and exercise for obesity. In these studies, they were discovered that there are several pattern of genes associated obesity. Especially, monogenic gene is important that is more easier for development of drug and program to diet and exercise for obesity. In instance, leptin, leptin receptor, carboxypeptidase, agouti, melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) and agouti-related protein etc. was included monogenic genes. Their mutation or blockage of pathway makes severe and early obesity. Mutation of MC4R is the most common monogenic genes and approximately 6% in severe and early obese patients. We conducted DNA analysis in severe obese patients, and discovered an obese patient associated with MC4R mutation at first in Korea.