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α‐Melanocyte‐Stimulating Hormone Is a Peripheral, Integrative Regulator of Glucose and Fat Metabolism
Author(s) -
BRENNAN MILES B.,
COSTA JESSICA LYNN,
FORBES STACY,
REED PEGGY,
BUI STEPHANIE,
HOCHGESCHWENDER UTE
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2003.tb03191.x
Subject(s) - melanocortins , endocrinology , glucose homeostasis , medicine , melanocortin , carbohydrate metabolism , insulin , melanocyte stimulating hormone , homeostasis , biology , hormone , metabolism , regulator , blood sugar regulation , insulin resistance , gene , biochemistry
A bstract : Melanocortins are known to affect feeding and probably insulin activity through the central nervous system. It was also recently shown that peripheral α‐melanocyte‐stimulating hormone (α‐MSH) administration can reduce weight gain in both genetic and diet‐induced obese mice. As obesity is often associated with disregulation of glucose and insulin, we investigated the nature of glucose homeostasis in the obese pro‐opiomelanocortin (POMC) knockout mouse. Here we report that though they are obese, mice deficient in POMC (and, thereby, deficient in α‐MSH) are euglycemic throughout their lives. While these mice are euinsulinemic, they are hypersensitive to exogenous insulin. This defect can be reversed through administration of α‐MSH. We demonstrate that the actions of α‐MSH in the periphery, known from our work to include lipid metabolism effects, are also involved in glucose homeostasis. These findings substantiate a pivotal role of the POMC gene products in integrating metabolism.