Role of the perifornical hypothalamic monoamine neurotransmitter systems in anorectic effects of endotoxin

The cachexia-anorexia syndrome, in which patients suffering from chronic illness lack the desire to eat and experience weight loss, creates a serious clinical problem when patients are attempting to overcome the disease process. Endotoxin (ET) has many actions in the brain and peripheral injections can affect regulation of monoamines in brain areas as diverse as the olfactory lobes and the locus coeruleus. Certainly, ET is involved in the febrile process and it plays a prominent role in the regulation of food intake and maintenance of body weight during chronic illnesses. Monoamine neurotransmitters in specific regions of the hypothalamus also participate in the regulation of food intake and body weight and have been well characterized. In this regard, the hypothalamic perifornical nucleus (PFN) is of interest to our lab due to its role in drug-induced anorexia caused by amphetamines. It is also the most sensitive site in the hypothalamic monoaminergic system that involves dopamine (DA) and epinephrine (EPI). DA antagonist, stereotaxically placed in this site, can stimulate feeding, and specific injections of DA or EPI can result in a 70-90% decrease in food intake, even in food-deprived animals. We have shown in our studies that ET in a dose (0.2 mg/kg of lipopolysaccharide) that does not induce noticeable ambulatory (lack of movement) effects (related to malaise) can cause a significant decrease in food intake in lean Zucker rats. We hypothesize that exogenous ET causes an increase in the extracellular concentrations of monoamines in the perifornical hypothalamus, which in turn can mediate the decrease in food intake. Microdialysis was utilized to measure extracellular concentrations of EPI, norepinephrine, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, DA, and serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine. These measurements were taken at a post-ET time period that coincides with an ET-induced decrease (4x) in food intake. Extracellular DA and EPI both significantly increased in the PFN in response to injection of ET. Increases in extracellular DA were dose related and were significant (p < 0.05) compared to zero baseline and saline at both doses of ET. No statistically significant differences were found in 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, norepinephrine, and serotonin in microdialysates of this part of the hypothalamus. The present data suggest that catecholamines, namely DA and EPI which are known to decrease food intake, in the PFN may be involved in the regulation of decreases in food intake caused by peripherally administered ET. This does not rule out a role for locally produced inflammatory molecules in the brain in this process.