Acute nicotine intake increases feeding behavior through decreasing glucagon signaling in dependent male and female rats.

Chronic use of nicotine is known to dysregulate metabolic signaling through altering circulating levels of feeding-related hormones, contributing to the onset of disorders like type 2 diabetes. However, little is known about the acute effects of nicotine on hormonal signaling. We previously identified an acute increase in food intake following acute nicotine, and we sought to determine whether this behavior was due to a change in hormone levels. We first identified that acute nicotine injection produces an increase in feeding behavior in dependent rats, but not nondependent rats. We confirmed that chronic nicotine use increases circulating levels of insulin, leptin, and ghrelin, and these correlate with rats' body weight and food intake. Acute nicotine injection in dependent animals decreased circulating GLP-1 and glucagon levels, and administration of glucagon prior to acute nicotine injection prevented the acute increase in feeding behavior. Thus, acute nicotine injection increases feeding behavior in dependent rats by decreasing glucagon signaling.