Capsaicin application to central or peripheral vagal fibers attenuates CCK satiety

Capsaicin treatment destroys small primary sensory neurons including a subpopulation of vagal afferents. Intraperitoneal, fourth ventricular or perivagal application of capsaicin attenuated or abolished cholecystokinin (CCK)-induced suppression of food intake. Capsaicin applied to the thoracolumbar spinal cord or to the pyloric region of the stomach did not alter CCK-induced reductions of food intake. Intraperitoneal capsaicin treatment reduced substance P-like immunoreactivity (SPLI) in the spinal dorsal horn and parts of the dorsal hindbrain. SPLI depletion, therefore, served as a histochemical indicator of the spread of capsaicin from its site of application. Capsaicin applied directly to the vagal trunks did not reduce SPLI in the spinal cord or hindbrain. Intraventricular capsaicin reduced SPLI in the hindbrain but not in the spinal cord. These data indicate that localized capsaicin application attenuates CCK-induced suppression of food intake by impairing the function of either central or peripheral portions of vagal afferent neurons. The data also support the conclusion that intraperitoneal capsaicin attenuates CCK-induced suppression of feeding by impairing vagal sensory function.