ACTA VETERINARIA ET ZOOTECHNICA SINICA ›› 2017, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (12): 2399-2406.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2017.12.020

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Ghrelin Mediate Female Mice Food Intake via Affecting on Estrogen Receptor-alpha Neuron in Arcuate Nucleus

SHEN Xiang-hua1, PAN Deng2, FAN Kui-kui2, LI Qiang2, LI Ting2, DU Chen-guang1,2*   

  1. 1. Vocational and Technical College, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Baotou 014109, China;
    2. College of Veterinary, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
  • Received:2017-06-06 Online:2017-12-23 Published:2017-12-23

Abstract:

As the specific energy regulator, the function of ghrelin was widely studied in the energy metabolism and reproduction regulation, but its exact regulatory mechanism in the estrous cycle of mice has still not been elucidated. In this study, by intraperitoneal injection of ghrelin to mice, we investigated its effect on feed intake and serum estradiol concentrations (competitive immunoassay electrochemistry luminescence detection) of mice during different stages of estrous cycle, the co-localization between estrogen receptor α (ERα) and ghrelin which existed in arcuate nucleus (ARC) were also studied by immunofluorescence. In the results, ghrelin (50 μg·kg-1) enhanced the feed intake of mice in protesters, in two hours post injection (P<0.05); ghrelin suppressed the concentration of estrogen in serum (P<0.01), and there was no significant change in other estrous cycle. Moreover, ghrelin enhanced mice neuron activation (P<0.05 or P<0.01), and ghrelin directly act on ERα neuron in ARC nucleus in whole estrous cycle, and highest co-expression rate was occurred in the proestrus. Thus, we hypothesis that ghrelin has the ability to direct acting on ERα neurons in mice hypothalamus to effect on the concentration of estrogen in serum, and finally mediate mice food behavior in mice protesters.

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