TY - JOUR
T1 - Pheromone-induced anorexia in male Syrian hamsters
AU - Morgan, Caurnel
AU - Urbanski, Henryk F.
AU - Fan, Wei
AU - Akil, Huda
AU - Cone, Roger D.
PY - 2003/11
Y1 - 2003/11
N2 - Transition from long days (LDs) to short days (SDs) triggers seasonal obesity in Syrian hamsters. We report here that SD-exposed males housed near females exhibit obesity resistance, episodic weight loss, and reduced adiposity. Negative energy balance is achieved by reduced eating, elevated motor activity, and increased caloric efficiency without metabolic compensation. Circulating leptin, insulin, testosterone, corticosterone, and cortisol are normal or reduced in obesity-resistant hamsters. When males are housed in chambers that block physical, visual, and auditory, but not pheromonal, signals from females, resistance to seasonal obesity persists. Moreover, inhalation of extracts from pheromone-releasing flank glands of females suppresses eating and weight gain in SD-exposed males. This novel phenomenon, pheromone-induced anorexia, shows that female pheromones play a critical role in the seasonal energy balance of male hamsters. These findings provide a model to study neural and endocrine mechanisms that underlie eating disorders.
AB - Transition from long days (LDs) to short days (SDs) triggers seasonal obesity in Syrian hamsters. We report here that SD-exposed males housed near females exhibit obesity resistance, episodic weight loss, and reduced adiposity. Negative energy balance is achieved by reduced eating, elevated motor activity, and increased caloric efficiency without metabolic compensation. Circulating leptin, insulin, testosterone, corticosterone, and cortisol are normal or reduced in obesity-resistant hamsters. When males are housed in chambers that block physical, visual, and auditory, but not pheromonal, signals from females, resistance to seasonal obesity persists. Moreover, inhalation of extracts from pheromone-releasing flank glands of females suppresses eating and weight gain in SD-exposed males. This novel phenomenon, pheromone-induced anorexia, shows that female pheromones play a critical role in the seasonal energy balance of male hamsters. These findings provide a model to study neural and endocrine mechanisms that underlie eating disorders.
KW - Hypercaloric
KW - Hypocaloric
KW - Locomotor activity
KW - Mesocricetus auratus
KW - Oxygen consumption
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U2 - 10.1152/ajpendo.00010.2003
DO - 10.1152/ajpendo.00010.2003
M3 - Article
C2 - 12888484
AN - SCOPUS:0142084672
SN - 0193-1849
VL - 285
SP - E1028-E1038
JO - American Journal of Physiology - Endocrinology and Metabolism
JF - American Journal of Physiology - Endocrinology and Metabolism
IS - 5 48-5
ER -