Does taste aversion play a role in the effect of dehydroepiandrosterone in Zucker rats?

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) reduces food intake in obese Zucker rats. To study the role of taste aversion on this process, we used two approaches. First, we presented increasing concentrations of DHEA in chow to lean and obese Zucker rats, either in competition with unadulterated chow, or alone. Second, we examined energy intake following parenteral DHEA administration. Both lean and obese rats always preferred nonadulterated chow to DHEA-supplemented chow. However, lean rats required a higher DHEA concentration (0.06%) than obese rats (0.015%) to achieve the same degree of aversion. When DHEA-supplemented chow was presented alone, only high concentrations (0.3 and 0.6% DHEA) decreased food intake. Rats given DHEA by IP injection (200 mg/kg/day) also decreased their energy intakes. The results demonstrate that although DHEA can cause taste aversion at low concentrations in Zucker rats, it does not alter energy intake until high concentrations are given. In addition, nonoral DHEA also decreases energy intake in these animals. These results suggest that DHEA's antiobesity effect is not mediated by taste aversion.