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Related Experiment Videos

Caprylic acid infusion acts in the liver to decrease food intake in rats.

Ulrike L Jambor de Sousa1, Myrtha Arnold, Wolfgang Langhans

  • 1Institute of Animal Sciences, ETH Zurich, 8603 Schwerzenbach, Switzerland.

Physiology & Behavior
|December 20, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Infusing medium chain fatty acid caprylic acid (CA) into the hepatic portal vein of rats significantly reduced food intake. This suggests CA acts in the liver to signal satiety, not through aversion or toxicity.

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Area of Science:

  • Nutritional Neuroscience
  • Hepatic Metabolism
  • Appetite Regulation

Background:

  • Medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) are metabolized differently than long chain fatty acids.
  • The liver plays a crucial role in nutrient sensing and metabolic signaling.
  • Understanding the neural and metabolic pathways of appetite regulation is essential for addressing obesity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of the liver in mediating the feeding inhibitory effects of caprylic acid (CA).
  • To determine if CA acts centrally or peripherally to reduce food intake.
  • To explore the potential mechanisms, including aversion and toxicity, underlying CA's effect on feeding.

Main Methods:

  • Hepatic portal vein (HPV) and vena cava infusions of caprylic acid (CA) in food-deprived male rats.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Measurement of first nocturnal meal size and 24-hour food intake.
  • Analysis of plasma levels of free fatty acids, beta-hydroxybutyrate, corticosterone, pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-alpha), and liver enzymes (ALT, GGT).
  • Conditioned taste aversion test using saccharine solution.

    • Main Results:

    • HPV infusion of CA significantly reduced first nocturnal meal size by ~40% and 24-hour food intake by ~15%.
    • Vena cava infusion of CA had no effect on food intake, indicating a liver-specific action.
    • HPV CA infusion attenuated postprandial decreases in plasma free fatty acids and beta-hydroxybutyrate.
    • CA did not induce conditioned taste aversion or affect corticosterone or pro-inflammatory cytokine levels.
    • A minor, non-pathological increase in gamma-glutamyl transferase was observed, but not alanine aminotransferase.

    Conclusions:

    • Caprylic acid acts within the liver to generate a signal that inhibits feeding.
    • The feeding inhibitory effect of CA is likely mediated by increased hepatic fatty acid oxidation.
    • The mechanism is independent of conditioned taste aversion, toxicity, or systemic inflammatory responses.