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Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Pharmacologic Induction of Epidermal Melanin and Protection Against Sunburn in a Humanized Mouse Model
Published on: September 7, 2013
To eat or not to eat; regulation by the melanocortin system
Jacquelien J G Hillebrand1, Martien J H Kas, Roger A H Adan
1Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacology and Anatomy, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
The central melanocortin (MC) system is one of the best-characterized neuropeptidergic systems involved in the regulation of energy balance. This short review describes the role of the central MC system in feeding behavior. Pharmacological, anatomical and genetic studies show that activation of the MC system reduces meal size, whereas de-activation of the MC system increases meal size. Several brain regions, including distinct hypothalamic nuclei and the hindbrain, are involved in this process. Further dissection of MC pathways in feeding behavior is the subject of recent and probably future studies. As the MC system is involved in animal models of obesity and (possibly) anorexia, it appears that this is a target system for development of drugs for the treatment of disturbed human eating behavior.
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