Impaired hypothalamic cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript expression in lateral hypothalamic area and paraventricular nuclei of dehydration-induced anorexic rats

Negative energy balance promotes physiological adaptations that ensure the survival of animals. The hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis regulates basal energy expenditure and its down-regulating adaptation to negative energy balance is well described: in fasting, the serum content of thyrotrophin (TSH) and thyroid hormones (TH) decreases, enhancing the survival odds of individuals. By contrast, dehydration-induced anorexic (DIA) rats present an impaired hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis adaptation despite their negative energy balance: increased circulating TSH levels. The implication of cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART), an anorexic peptide, in HPT axis function impairment and food-avoidance behaviour displayed by DIA animals is unknown. Because CART is co-expressed with the peptide that regulates the HPT axis in hypophysiotrophic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) neurones (TSH-releasing hormone), we analysed CART expression and possible implications with respect to high TSH levels of DIA animals. We examined whether changes in CART expression from the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) and arcuate nucleus (ARC) could participate in food-avoidance of DIA rats. DIA and forced-food restricted (FFR) animals reduced their body weight and food intake. FFR rats had a down-regulation of their HPT axis (reduced serum TH and TSH content), whereas DIA animals had reduced TH but increased TSH levels. CART mRNA expression in the ARC decreased similarly between experimental groups and diminished in anterior, medial PVN and in LHA of FFR animals, whereas DIA animals showed unchanged levels. This impaired CART mRNA expression in the anterior PVN and LHA could be related to the aberrant feeding behaviour of DIA rats but not to their deregulated HPT axis function.