The Effects Of Nesfatin-1, An Anorexigenic Peptide, On Blood Pressure And Lights Out Locomotor Activity

Here we describe the effects of Nesfatin‐1 (NES) on mean arterial blood pressure and locomotor activity in normotensive rats. Cannulas were inserted into the right lateral ventricle of male rats. After 5 days, the left ascending carotid artery was cannulated with PE‐50 tubing. The next day, mean arterial pressure (MAP) was recorded in conscious, unrestrained animals for 30 minutes following intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of 20, 60, or 180 pmol NES or saline. For behavior, naïve rats with i.c.v. cannulas were habituated in a behavior box (Opto‐Max, Columbus Instruments) for 1 hour (16:00). At 17:00, 20, 60, or 180 pmol NES or saline was administered. The lights were turned off at 18:00 and activity was recorded until 19:00. There was an initial significant increase in MAP after i.c.v. injection of all three doses of NES which lasted approximately 15–20 min. Behavioral readings indicated that the rats were very active in the initial 15 minutes after i.c.v. injection of NES, but then entered a phase of inactivity, which lasted until Lights Out, when they became active again. The highest dose of NES induced a state of almost complete inactivity, which lasted beyond Lights Out. These results indicate that the rise in MAP could reflect the initial behavioral activity. Furthermore, the anorexigenic effect of NES may also be secondary to its action to reduce spontaneous locomotor activity.