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Modulation of opioid-induced feeding behavior by endogenous nitric oxide in neonatal layer-type chicks

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Abstract

The current study was designed to evaluate the effects of central administration of L-arginine (The precursor of nitric oxide), NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), a nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor, selective opioid receptor agonists and involvement of central nitrergic/opioidergic systems on feeding behavior in neonatal layer-type chicks. The results of this study showed that the intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of L-arginine (400 and 800 nmol) significantly decreased food intake (P < 0.001) but the injection of 200 nmol L-arginine had no effect on cumulative food intake in FD3 chickens (P > 0.05). The ICV injection of L-NAME (200 and 400 nmol) increased food intake (P < 0.001) but 100 nmol of L-NAME had no significant effect (P > 0.05). On the other hand, the co-injection of 100 nmol L-NAME significantly attenuated the anorexigenic effect of 800 nmol L-arginine (P < 0.001). Moreover, the food intake of chicks was significantly decreased by ICV injection of DAMGO (μ-opioid receptor agonist, 125 pmol) (P < 0.001) while both DPDPE (δ-opioid receptor agonist, 40 pmol) and U-50488H (κ-opioid receptor agonist, 30 nmol) significantly stimulated food intake (P < 0.001). In addition, the hypophagic effect of DAMGO was significantly amplified by administration of L-arginine (P < 0.001) while the administration of L-NAME attenuated the hypophagic effect of DAMGO (P < 0.001). In contrast, co-injection of L-arginine or L-NAME with DPDPE had no effect on the hyperphagia induced by DPDPE as well as the hyperphagic effect of U-50488H on food intake was not affected by concurrent injection of L-arginine or L-NAME (P > 0.05). These results suggest that nitrergic and opioidergic systems have an important role on feeding behavior in the CNS of neonatal layer-type chicks and it seems that interaction between them is mediated by μ-opioid receptor.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a grant from the Research Council of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Iran.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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  1. Department of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, PO Box: 14155-6453, Tehran, Iran

    Samad Alimohammadi, Morteza Zendehdel & Vahab Babapour

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  1. Samad Alimohammadi
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  2. Morteza Zendehdel
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Correspondence to Morteza Zendehdel.

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Alimohammadi, S., Zendehdel, M. & Babapour, V. Modulation of opioid-induced feeding behavior by endogenous nitric oxide in neonatal layer-type chicks. Vet Res Commun 39, 105–113 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-015-9631-8

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