Glycoprotein mobilization following parathormone administration in dogs.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M C Flynn.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and related compounds increase short-term feeding. Previous studies have used different animal models, feeding schedules, sources of the compounds, and time and routes of administration. These differences in methodology are important in the variability reported on the potency of NPY-related compounds. To obtain reliable data on the relative efficacy, we tested NPY, NPY 3-36, and pancreatic polypeptide (PP) using an identical protocol and the same commercial source. These three NPY-related compounds were tested using the intracerebroventricular (i.c.v., into the third ventricle) administration, and the profile of the feeding enhancement including the dose response and potency was determined. Compounds were tested in parallel on at least 2 successive days. NPY, NPY 3-36, and PP exhibited different potencies in enhancing 2-h food intake. Comparison of their dose responses (using 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 2.5, and 5.0 microg/rat) demonstrated an overall potency of NPY 3-36 > NPY > PP for the high doses. To study ligand interactions, we examined the effects of various combinations of NPY-related compounds administered concomitantly. These combinations were justified based on the data obtained from the individual dose responses. The data show that the effects of NPY plus NPY 3-36 or NPY 3-36 plus PP were less than additive. When compared to the individual responses, the effects of NPY 3-36 were almost identical to those induced by the combinations using low doses of NPY plus NPY 3-36, or low and high doses of PP plus NPY 3-36. The results support the notion that NPY and its analogues induce a short-term feeding response by activating multiple receptor subtypes.
Interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) immunotherapy is associated with significant adverse neurological effects, including anorexia, which can be a limiting factor in immunotherapy. Thus, it is important to develop strategies that could ameliorate IFN-alpha-induced neurological manifestations without significantly affecting its immunomodulating properties. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that an endogenous feeding-enhancing peptide, neuropeptide Y (NPY), could inhibit IFN-alpha-induced anorexia in rats. The results show that IFN-alpha induced significant anorexia when administered centrally into the third cerebral ventricle at an immunotherapeutically relevant dose (1,350 IU/rat). Heat-inactivated IFN-alpha had no effect. NPY (5.0 microg/rat) counteracted the IFN-alpha-induced anorexia when administered 3 or 10 h following IFN-alpha, or when it was concomitantly administered with IFN-alpha. The data suggest that NPY and its agonists could represent a potential novel intervention for IFN-alpha immunotherapy-associated anorexia.