Center for Advanced Nutrition, Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-4715, USA.
Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2011 Mar;98(1):112-9. doi: 10.1016/j.pbb.2010.12.010. Epub 2010 Dec 15.
Melanocortins have been reported to affect alcohol intake through actions in the hypothalamus thought to be mediated by melanocortin MC4 receptors. Since these receptors are expressed in a number of amygdala regions, we have explored their role in the regulation of alcohol intake in both alcohol-preferring (P) and non-preferring (NP) rats. Injections were made at the border of the central amygdala nucleus and the basolateral amygdala. The MC3/MC4R agonist MTII reduced alcohol and food intake but increased water intake while the selective MC4R antagonist HS014 only increased food and water intake. The MC3/MC4R antagonist SHU9119 increased food and water but had little effect on alcohol intake. However, when the SHU9119 stimulation of food intake was prevented by pair-feeding, SHU9119 induced a large and prolonged decline in alcohol intake that was paralleled by an increase in water intake. These effects were only observed in P rats. We conclude that melanocortin activity in the amygdala can alter the selective preference for water and alcohol independent of effects on food intake.
黑皮质素被报道通过在下丘脑的作用来影响酒精摄入，这些作用被认为是由黑皮质素 MC4 受体介导的。由于这些受体在许多杏仁核区域表达，我们已经探索了它们在调节酒精偏好（P）和非偏好（NP）大鼠的酒精摄入中的作用。注射在中央杏仁核核和基底外侧杏仁核的边界进行。MC3/MC4R 激动剂 MTII 减少了酒精和食物的摄入，但增加了水的摄入，而选择性 MC4R 拮抗剂 HS014 仅增加了食物和水的摄入。MC3/MC4R 拮抗剂 SHU9119 增加了食物和水的摄入，但对酒精摄入几乎没有影响。然而，当通过配对喂养来防止 SHU9119 对食物摄入的刺激时，SHU9119 导致酒精摄入量的大幅和持久下降，同时水的摄入量增加。这些影响仅在 P 大鼠中观察到。我们得出结论，杏仁核中的黑皮质素活性可以改变对水和酒精的选择性偏好，而不影响食物摄入。
