Central administration of insulin and refeeding lead to the phosphorylation of AKT, but not FOXO1, in the hypothalamus of broiler chicks.

Several studies in rodents and layer chickens have demonstrated that insulin upregulates hypothalamic AKT-mediated signaling and expression of proopiomelanocortin (POMC, the precursor of alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone, an anorexigenic peptide) and suppresses appetite in these animals. However, a previous study has also reported that insulin fails to suppress food intake in broiler chicks. In the present study, no significant differences were observed in hypothalamic AKT and forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) phosphorylation levels between broiler and layer chicks. The phosphorylation rate of AKT, but not that of FOXO1, increased in the hypothalami of broilers refed for 1 h after a 24-h fast, with a corresponding increase in plasma insulin concentration. Intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of 50 pmol insulin, which could decrease food intake in broiler chicks, significantly increased the AKT phosphorylation rate, whereas no significant change was observed in FOXO1 phosphorylation or POMC expression after ICV insulin administration. These findings suggest that hypothalamic AKT responds to insulin in broiler chicks, but FOXO1-mediated regulation of POMC expression is not induced by insulin, which may be one of the causes of excessive food intake in broiler chickens.