[Serotonin, food intake and body weight].

Various animal models of hyperphagia and obesity have made possible the study of the effect on food intake of dexfenfluramine, an agent which both inhibits reuptake and stimulates release of 5 HT. These are chronic overfeeding models (hereditary model: Zucker rat, hormonal origin: insulin, ovariectomy, lesions of the VMH, and models including palatable and varied diet: cafétéria diet) and also acute overfeeding models (deprived rats, tail pinch, "dessert" test, metabolic or neuropharmacologic stimuli). Dexfenfluramine administered by osmotic minipump (3 mg/kg/day for up to 4 weeks) reduces food intake and produces weight loss in most of these models.