Endogenous Enterostatin, Proteases, and Dietary Fat Preference in Rats

Many studies clearly demonstrate inhibition of dietary fat preference by exogenous enterostatins in rodents. However, what role endogenous enterostatin, if any, may play in the regulation of fat intake is not clear. To this end, we examined whether there is a relationship between plasma enterostatin (VPDPR)-like immunoreactivity and fat preference. Additionally, since enterostatin is a product of tryptic cleavage of procolipase, we examined the effect of camostat, a protease inhibitor known to inhibit trypsin and other proteases, on dietary fat preference and plasma enterostatin concentration. The results of these studies show that while there was a significant inverse relationship between plasma enterostatin and fat preference, the effect of camostat on fat preference or plasma enterostatin concentration was not clear.