Abstract
Feeding behavior is regulated by a complex interplay of many endogenous substances, such as peptides and neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. Histamine is a neurotransmitter which expresses an anorectic effect on food intake via histamine H1 receptors. The histaminergic system exists downstream of leptin, a satiety factor secreted from white adipose tissue. Because direct stimulation of the histaminergic system by histamine H3-inverse agonists or antagonists can normalize the obese phenotype in which animal models with exogenous leptin resistance, which resembles human obesity, the potential roles of histamine H3 receptors as a therapeutic target now draw attention. Histaminergic activity is enhanced during feeding, and an oral somatic sensation is thought to affect histaminergic activity while blood glucose levels do not. In addition, gustatory information can modulate histaminergic activity by two mechanisms: by physiological excitation of the chorda tympani nerve, one of the taste nerves and by emotions elicited by taste perception, i.e., taste palatability. Particularly, aversive and hazardous taste stimuli tonically facilitate histaminergic activity, suggesting that the histaminergic system is involved in the response to harmful stimuli. Together with recent findings, it is postulated that the histaminergic system responds to both mechanical and chemical sensory input from the oral cavity during feeding and is exerted as a part of the danger response system.
Highlights
Integrative role of the histaminergic system in feeding and taste perceptionReviewed by: Fernando Torrealba, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Chile Roberto Coccurello, National Research Council, Italy
OVERVIEW OF THE ROLE OF THE HISTAMINERGIC SYSTEM IN THE CONTROL OF FEEDING Obesity is a prevalent condition which is associated with an increased risk of a consequence of the morbidities of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and heart disease whose incidence increases with body-mass index (BMI, body-mass in kg/square of the height in meters)
It is obvious that histaminergic activity increases during feeding, but what is the factor(s) which affects histaminergic activity during feeding? One possibility is the elevation of blood glucose levels by the post-ingestive effect, we studied the effect of the change of blood glucose levels on histamine release
Summary
Reviewed by: Fernando Torrealba, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Chile Roberto Coccurello, National Research Council, Italy. The highest density of histaminergic fibers is found in the hypothalamus (Inagaki et al, 1988), which is a brain structure known to play a crucial role in the central regulation of feeding behavior (Oomura et al, 1967). Because of these morphological features, the involvement of the histaminergic system in the regulation of feeding behavior has been well investigated using histamine-related compounds. When neuronal histamine is reduced by α-fluromethylhistidine (FMH), a histamine synthesis inhibitor (Watanabe et al, 1990), significant increases in feeding behavior were produced
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