Effects of alpha-keto acid on the expression of neuropeptide Y in malnutrition rats with chronic renal failure / 南方医科大学学报

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effects of alpha-keto acid on the expression of neuropeptide Y in malnutrition rats with chronic renal failure.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>SD rats received 5/6 nephrectomy and were fed with 4% casein to establish models of malnutrition with chronic renal failure. Serum albumin, urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, type-1 insulin like growth factor and body weight of the rats were measured. The rat models were randomized into chronic renal failure group, alpha-keto acid group and normal control group, and after a 4-week treatment as indicated, neuropeptide Y mRNA levels in the hypothalamus were measured by RT-PCR in rats with surgically induced renal failure (two-stage subtotal nephrectomy). The blood neuropeptide Y of the rats were analyzed by radioimmunoassay.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Malnutrition occurred in chronic renal failure rats at the end of 10 weeks. Compared with those in the chronic renal failure group, the plasma neuropeptide Y concentrations in alpha-keto acid group were significantly lowered with substantially elevated neuropeptide Y mRNA expression in the hypothalamus.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>alpha-keto acid capsule can improve malnutrition in rats with renal insufficiency possibly by up-regulating neuropeptide Y mRNA expression in the hypothalamus and reducing the level of blood neuropeptide Y.</p>