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This Article Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 297/6/E1269    most recent ajpendo.00337.2009v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Zhang, W. Articles by Mulholland, M. W. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Zhang, W. Articles by Mulholland, M. W.

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Regulation of food intake and body weight by recombinant proghrelin

¹University of Michigan

Submitted 22 May 2009 ; revised 14 September 2009 ; accepted in final form 19 September 2009

Ghrelin is a 28 amino acid hormone derived from the endoproteolytic processing of its prehormone-progrhelin. While ghrelin has been reported to regulate food intake and body weight, it is still unknown whether proghrelin exercises any biological function. Here we show that recombinant proghrelin alters food intake and energy metabolism in mice. After intraperitoneal administration of recombinant proghrelin (100nmol/kg body weight), cumulative food intake was significantly increased at day 1, day2 and day3 (6±0.3g, 13±0.5g, 20±0.8g vs 5±0.2g, 10±0.2g, 16±0.3g of the control mice receiving normal saline respectively, n=6, P<0.05). Twelve hour cumulative food intake in light photo period in mice treated with proghrelin increased significantly relative to the control (2.1±0.04g vs 1.3±0.2g, n=6, P<0.05). No change in twelve hour cumulative food intake in dark photo period was observed between mice treated with proghrelin and vehicle (4.2±0.6 g vs 4.3±0.6g, n=6, P>0.05). This is associated with a decrease in body weight (0.42±0.04 g) for mice treated with proghrelin, while control animals gained body weight (0.31±0.04g). Mice treated with proghrelin demonstrate a significant decrease in respiratory quotient, indicating increase in fat consumption. Recombinant proghrelin is functionally active with effects on food intake and energy metabolism.

ghrelin; proghrelin; food intake; body weight; respiratory quotient