Plasma glucagon, glucose, insulin, and motilin in rats anticipating daily meals

The circadian food entrainable oscillator (FEO) mediates an increase in activity preceding access to periodic meals. The FEO is anatomically independent of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), but its locus remains to be established. Whether the FEO is located in the central nervous system (CNS) or in the periphery, it seems reasonable to assume that there is a link of communication between the digestive system and the CNS because only nutritive meals entrain the FEO. Subdiaphragmatic vagotomy and visceral deafferentation with capsaicin do not eliminate food-anticipatory activity (FAA), indicating that a neural signal is not necessary. The present study investigates the hypothesis that humoral signals from the digestive system act upon the CNS to trigger or entrain FAA. Intact rats and rats with SCN lesions were entrained to daily meals and then sacrificed prior to FAA or during FAA, but before meal access. Average plasma concentrations of glucose and insulin were nearly identical in both groups. Plasma and duodenal mucosal motilin concentrations also were not different between the two times. Corticosterone was elevated during anticipation, but the difference was not statistically reliable. Glucagon concentration was decreased during FAA compared to concentration prior to FAA in both intact and SCN-lesioned subjects. This difference was not observed in control rats fasted for the same number of hours, but not previously entrained to a daily meal. Although the decrease in glucagon could be a signal that initiates FAA, a causal role remains to be established.