Inhibitors of fatty acid oxidation (mercaptoacetate, R-3-amino-4-trimethylaminobutyric acid) stimulate feeding in mice.

Several lines of evidence indicate that fatty acid oxidation contributes to control of eating. We examined the effect of inhibitors of fatty acid oxidation (mercaptoacetate, R-3-amino-4-trimethylaminobutyric acid = emeriamine) on food intake in mice because fatty acid oxidation has been shown recently to increase the hepatic membrane potential in mouse liver, and this potential has been proposed to represent a signal for control of food intake. The effect of intraperitoneal injection of mercaptoacetate (200, 400, or 600 micromol/kg body weight) and emeriamine dihydrochloride (8.7, 17.4, 34.8, or 69.6 micromol/kg body weight) was investigated in mice fed a fat-enriched diet (18% fat). Both mercaptoacetate (400 or 600 micromol/kg) and emeriamine (34.8 or 69.6 micromol/kg) significantly increased food intake. These results suggest that fatty acid oxidation is also involved in feeding control in mice. Therefore, the pertinent mechanisms can be studied in mice.