Department of Pharmacology, Osaka Dental University Osaka, Japan.
Front Syst Neurosci. 2012 May 24;6:44. doi: 10.3389/fnsys.2012.00044. eCollection 2012.
Feeding behavior is regulated by a complex interplay of many endogenous substances, such as peptides and neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. Histamine is a neurotransmitter which expresses an anorectic effect on food intake via histamine H(1) receptors. The histaminergic system exists downstream of leptin, a satiety factor secreted from white adipose tissue. Because direct stimulation of the histaminergic system by histamine H(3)-inverse agonists or antagonists can normalize the obese phenotype in which animal models with exogenous leptin resistance, which resembles human obesity, the potential roles of histamine H(3) receptors as a therapeutic target now draw attention. Histaminergic activity is enhanced during feeding, and an oral somatic sensation is thought to affect histaminergic activity while blood glucose levels do not. In addition, gustatory information can modulate histaminergic activity by two mechanisms: by physiological excitation of the chorda tympani nerve, one of the taste nerves and by emotions elicited by taste perception, i.e., taste palatability. Particularly, aversive and hazardous taste stimuli tonically facilitate histaminergic activity, suggesting that the histaminergic system is involved in the response to harmful stimuli. Together with recent findings, it is postulated that the histaminergic system responds to both mechanical and chemical sensory input from the oral cavity during feeding and is exerted as a part of the danger response system.
摄食行为受多种内源性物质的复杂相互作用调节，如中枢神经系统中的肽类和神经递质。组胺是一种神经递质，通过组胺 H1 受体对食物摄入表达出厌食作用。组胺能系统存在于瘦素（一种由白色脂肪组织分泌的饱腹感因子）下游。由于组胺 H3-反向激动剂或拮抗剂直接刺激组胺能系统可以使具有外源性瘦素抵抗的动物模型（类似于人类肥胖）的肥胖表型正常化，因此组胺 H3 受体作为治疗靶点的潜在作用现在引起了关注。在进食过程中，组胺能活性增强，而口服体感被认为会影响组胺能活性，而血糖水平则不会。此外，味觉信息可以通过两种机制调节组胺能活性：通过鼓索神经（味觉神经之一）的生理兴奋，以及味觉感知引起的情绪，即味觉适口性。特别是，令人不快和危险的味觉刺激会持续促进组胺能活性，这表明组胺能系统参与了对有害刺激的反应。结合最近的发现，可以假设组胺能系统在进食过程中对口腔的机械和化学感觉输入做出反应，并作为危险反应系统的一部分发挥作用。
