Nicotine decreases food intake through activation of POMC neurons

Science. 2011 Jun 10;332(6035):1330-2. doi: 10.1126/science.1201889.

Abstract

Smoking decreases appetite, and smokers often report that they smoke to control their weight. Understanding the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the anorexic effects of smoking would facilitate the development of novel treatments to help with smoking cessation and to prevent or treat obesity. By using a combination of pharmacological, molecular genetic, electrophysiological, and feeding studies, we found that activation of hypothalamic α3β4 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors leads to activation of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons. POMC neurons and subsequent activation of melanocortin 4 receptors were critical for nicotinic-induced decreases in food intake in mice. This study demonstrates that nicotine decreases food intake and body weight by influencing the hypothalamic melanocortin system and identifies critical molecular and synaptic mechanisms involved in nicotine-induced decreases in appetite.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alkaloids / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Azocines / metabolism
  • Eating / drug effects*
  • Ganglionic Stimulants / pharmacology*
  • Male
  • Melanocortins / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Neurons / drug effects
  • Neurons / metabolism
  • Nicotine / pharmacology*
  • Nicotinic Agonists / pharmacology
  • Pro-Opiomelanocortin / metabolism*
  • Quinolizines / metabolism
  • Receptors, Nicotinic / metabolism

Substances

  • Alkaloids
  • Azocines
  • Ganglionic Stimulants
  • Melanocortins
  • Nicotinic Agonists
  • Quinolizines
  • Receptors, Nicotinic
  • nicotinic receptor alpha3beta4
  • cytisine
  • Pro-Opiomelanocortin
  • Nicotine