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Acta Physiologica 2009; Volume 197, Supplement 675
Joint meeting of The Slovenian Physiological Society, The Austrian Physiological Society and The Federation of European Physiological Societies
11/12/2009-11/15/2009
Ljubljana, Slovenia
ROLE OF HYPOTHALAMIC FATTY ACIDS, AMPK AND GHRELIN IN THE REGULATION OF FOOD INTAKE
Abstract number: L82
Lopez1 Miguel
1Department of Physiology and CIBER Fisiopatologa de la Obesidad y Nutricin (CIBERobn) ISCIII, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela Spain
The "classical" hypothalamic neuropeptide view of feeding regulation has been extensively reviewed and revised during the last few years. Accumulating evidence indicate that pharmacological and genetic modulation of lipogenesis de novo in the hypothalamus,throughselectivepharmacologic and genetic manipulation ofacetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 (CPT1), fatty acid synthase (FAS) and malonyl-CoA decarboxylase (MCD) enzymes, has a severe impact on food intake and body weight homeostasis. Furthermore, since these manipulations alter the hypothalamic pool of lipids, such as malonyl-CoA and/or long chain fatty acids-CoA (LCFAs-CoA), the concept of lipids as signals of nutrient abundance able to modulate feeding in the hypothalamus has recently re-emerged.
Despite these pharmacological and genetic data, confirmation that it is a physiologically relevant regulatory system of feeding is still incomplete. Our current investigations have revealed that hypothalamic FAS, AMPK and CPT-1 expression and activities are modulated by peripheral signals regulating feeding, such as ghrelin, specifically in the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH). Our data also identify the fatty acid biosynthetic pathway in the VMH as a potentially important physiological mediator of feeding behaviour of relevance for the understanding and treatment of obesity.
To cite this abstract, please use the following information:
Acta Physiologica 2009; Volume 197, Supplement 675 :L82