The effects of Ghrelin on food choice of rats

Abstract

Objective To study the effect of Ghrelin on food choice of rats. Methods Twenty-four Wistar rats were randomly divided into control group, 0.1 nM Ghrenlin group and 1.0 nM Ghrenlin group, and 8 rats in each group. 0.2 μl arificial cerebrospinal fluid were injected into the lateral ventricle in control group, and the same volume 0.1nM and 1.0 nM Ghrelin were done in 0.1 nM Ghrenlin group and 1.0 nM Ghrenlin group respectively. The changes of food intake, feeding interval, and torlerance of different flavors of food intake were observed. The SCH23390, an antagonist of dopamine D1 receptor, was used to explore the mechanisms of Ghrelin. Results The rats’ food consumption increased significantly and the intake intervals reduced dose dependently after injecting Ghrelin into the lateral ventricles (P 0.05). After injecting Ghrelin, the rats’ intake of liquid food added with sugar increased in a dose dependent manner(P<0.05~0.01), and higher than the food intake of fasted rats((59.24±17.32)ml vs (38.13±10.98)ml, P<0.05). The food intake reduced obviously after injecting SCH23390 ((22.69±6.54)ml vs (28.21±7.35)ml, P<0.05). But the rats’ food intake was significantly lower after injecting SCH23390 + Ghrelin than the rats only injected of Ghrelin ((32.44±10.62)ml vs (65.81±13.47)ml, P<0.05). Conclusion Ghrelin can affect the food choice of rats, and dopamine may be involved in the regulation of this process. Key words: Ghrelin; Dopamine; Food intake; Rat