The Effect of Oxytocin on the Body Weight of Male Rabbits

Areej A.  Mohammed; Aisha F.  Bonaama; Souad A. M.  Moftah; Ameerah T.  Ramadhan; Abdulsalam M. A.  Bolhaj; Somya A.  Aregeb; Mohamed A.  ElMabrouk

doi:10.54172/mjsc.v36i4.369

Authors

Areej A. Mohammed Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Omar Al-Mukhtar University, Al-Bayda, Libya
Aisha F. Bonaama Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Omar Al-Mukhtar University, Al-Bayda, Libya
Souad A. M. Moftah Department of Zoology, Faculty of Arts and Science, Benghazi University, Almarj, Libya
Ameerah T. Ramadhan Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Omar Al-Mukhtar University, Al-Bayda, Libya
Abdulsalam M. A. Bolhaj Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Omar Al-Mukhtar University, Al-Bayda, Libya
Somya A. Aregeb Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Omar Al-Mukhtar University, Al-Bayda, Libya
Mohamed A. ElMabrouk Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Omar Al-Mukhtar University, Al-Bayda, Libya

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54172/mjsc.v36i4.369

Keywords:

Oxytocin, Body Weight, Rabbits, Food Consumption

Abstract

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of two different doses of oxytocin on weight. Adult male rabbits (15) were weighed and provided with food twice daily for 3 weeks to determine the amount of food consumed daily and the time spent feeding by each rabbit. After 3 weeks the rabbits were weighed and divided randomly into 3groups: the control group, the low dose group, and the high dose group. The animals were injected daily for 3 weeks. During that time the amount of food consumed and the time spent feeding in both periods were determined. After the end of the treatment period the rabbits were weighed, and sacrificed. The results of this study showed that before treatment the rabbits consumed more food in the evening period than they did in the afternoon period. The mean time spent feeding in the evening period was slightly higher than that spent in the afternoon period; however, this difference was not statistically significant. After treatment, there was still significant difference between the means of the consumed food in the afternoon and the evening period for the control group. The mean amounts of food consumed in both periods by the treated groups were slightly reduced, but this reduction was not statistically significant. Furthermore, the mean time spent feeding in the evening period was slightly higher than that of the afternoon period for the 3 groups; however, these differences were not significant. The mean weight of the control group was slightly increased after treatment with the hormone; and the mean weights of the treated groups were slightly reduced after treatment. However, changes in body weighs were not statistically significant.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Amico, J. A., Vollmer, R. R., Cai, H.-m., Miedlar, J. A., & Rinaman, L. (2005). Enhanced initial and sustained intake of sucrose solution in mice with an oxytocin gene deletion. American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 289(6), R1798-R1806. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpregu.00558.2005

Apter-Levy, Y., Feldman, M., Vakart, A., Ebstein, R. P., & Feldman, R. (2013). Impact of maternal depression across the first 6 years of life on the child’s mental health, social engagement, and empathy: the moderating role of oxytocin. American Journal of Psychiatry, 170(10), 1161-1168. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2013.12121597

Arletti, R., Benelli, A., & Bertolini, A. (1989). Influence of oxytocin on feeding behavior in the rat. Peptides, 10(1), 89-93. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0196-9781(89)90082-X

Arletti, R., Benelli, A., & Bertolini, A. (1990). Oxytocin inhibits food and fluid intake in rats. Physiology & behavior, 48(6), 825-830. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9384(90)90234-U

Blanks, A. M., & Thornton, S. (2003). The role of oxytocin in parturition. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 110, 46-51. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1471-0528.2003.00024.x

Blevins, J. E., Graham, J. L., Morton, G. J., Bales, K. L., Schwartz, M. W., Baskin, D. G., & Havel, P. J. (2014). Chronic oxytocin administration inhibits food intake, increases energy expenditure, and produces weight loss in fructose-fed obese rhesus monkeys. American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 308(5), R431-R438. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpregu.00441.2014

Blevins, J. E., Thompson, B. W., Anekonda, V. T., Ho, J. M., Graham, J. L., Roberts, Z. S., Hwang, B. H., Ogimoto, K., Wolden-Hanson, T., & Nelson, J. (2016). Chronic CNS oxytocin signaling preferentially induces fat loss in high-fat diet-fed rats by enhancing satiety responses and increasing lipid utilization. American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 310(7), R640-R658. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpregu.00220.2015

Blouet, C., Jo, Y.-H., Li, X., & Schwartz, G. J. (2009). Mediobasal hypothalamic leucine sensing regulates food intake through activation of a hypothalamus–brainstem circuit. Journal of Neuroscience, 29(26), 8302-8311. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1668-09.2009

Breton, C., Di Scala-Guenot, D., & Zingg, H. (2001). Oxytocin receptor gene expression in rat mammary gland: structural characterization and regulation. Journal of molecular endocrinology, 27(2), 175-190. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1677/jme.0.0270175

Deblon, N., Veyrat-Durebex, C., Bourgoin, L., Caillon, A., & Bussier, A. (2011). Mechanisms of the Anti-Obesity Effects of Oxytocin in Diet-Induced Obese. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0025565

Gimpl, G., & Fahrenholz, F. (2001). The oxytocin receptor system: structure, function, and regulation. Physiological reviews, 81(2), 629-683. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.2001.81.2.629

Kublaoui, B. M., Gemelli, T., Tolson, K. P., Wang, Y., & Zinn, A. R. (2008). Oxytocin deficiency mediates hyperphagic obesity of Sim1 haploinsufficient mice. Molecular endocrinology, 22(7), 1723-1734. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1210/me.2008-0067

Lawson, E. A., Marengi, D. A., DeSanti, R. L., Holmes, T. M., Schoenfeld, D. A., & Tolley, C. J. (2015). Oxytocin reduces caloric intake in men. Obesity, 23(5), 950-956. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.21069

Li, L., Kong, X., Liu, H., & Liu, C. (2007). Systemic oxytocin and vasopressin excite gastrointestinal motility through oxytocin receptor in rabbits. Neurogastroenterology & Motility, 19(10), 839-844. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2982.2007.00953.x

Lokrantz, C.-M., Uvnäs-Moberg, K., & Kaplan, J. M. (1997). Effects of central oxytocin administration on intraoral intake of glucose in deprived and nondeprived rats. Physiology & behavior, 62(2), 347-352. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9384(97)00021-8

Luck, M., & Jungclas, B. (1987). Catecholamines and ascorbic acid as stimulators of bovine ovarian oxytocin secretion. Journal of endocrinology, 114(3), 423-430. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1677/joe.0.1140423

MacDonald, K., & MacDonald, T. M. (2010). The peptide that binds: a systematic review of oxytocin and its prosocial effects in humans. Harvard review of psychiatry, 18(1), 1-21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3109/10673220903523615

Maejima, Y., Iwasaki, Y., Yamahara, Y., Kodaira, M., Sedbazar, U., & Yada, T. (2011). Peripheral oxytocin treatment ameliorates obesity by reducing food intake and visceral fat mass. Aging (Albany NY), 3(12), 1169. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.100408

Miedlar, J. A., Rinaman, L., Vollmer, R. R., & Amico, J. A. (2007). Oxytocin gene deletion mice overconsume palatable sucrose solution but not palatable lipid emulsions. American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 293(3), R1063-R1068. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpregu.00228.2007

Morton, G. J., Thatcher, B. S., Reidelberger, R. D., Ogimoto, K., Wolden-Hanson, T., Baskin, D. G., Schwartz, M. W., & Blevins, J. E. (2012). Peripheral oxytocin suppresses food intake and causes weight loss in diet-induced obese rats. American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism, 302(1), E134-E144. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpendo.00296.2011

Mullis, K., Kay, K., & Williams, D. L. (2013). Oxytocin action in the ventral tegmental area affects sucrose intake. Brain research, 1513, 85-91. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2013.03.026

Olson, B. R., Drutarosky, M. D., Chow, M.-S., Hruby, V. J., Stricker, E. M., & Verbalis, J. G. (1991). Oxytocin and an oxytocin agonist administered centrally decrease food intake in rats. Peptides, 12(1), 113-118. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0196-9781(91)90176-P

Ott, V., Finlayson, G., Lehnert, H., Heitmann, B., Heinrichs, M., Born, J., & Hallschmid, M. (2013). Oxytocin reduces reward-driven food intake in humans. Diabetes, 62(10), 3418-3425. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2337/db13-0663

Pischon, T., Boeing, H., Hoffmann, K., Bergmann, M., Schulze, M. B., Overvad, K., Van der Schouw, Y., Spencer, E., Moons, K., & Tjønneland, A. (2008). General and abdominal adiposity and risk of death in Europe. New England Journal of Medicine, 359(20), 2105-2120. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa0801891

Rinaman, L., & Rothe, E. E. (2002). GLP-1 receptor signaling contributes to anorexigenic effect of centrally administered oxytocin in rats. American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 283(1), R99-R106. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpregu.00008.2002

Sclafani, A., Rinaman, L., Vollmer, R. R., & Amico, J. A. (2007). Oxytocin knockout mice demonstrate enhanced intake of sweet and nonsweet carbohydrate solutions. American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 292(5), R1828-R1833. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpregu.00826.2006

Thienel, M., Fritsche, A., Heinrichs, M., Peter, A., Ewers, M., Lehnert, H., Born, J., & Hallschmid, M. (2016). Oxytocin’s inhibitory effect on food intake is stronger in obese than normal-weight men. International journal of obesity, 40(11), 1707-1714. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2016.149

Yamashita, M., Takayanagi, Y., Yoshida, M., Nishimori, K., Kusama, M., & Onaka, T. (2013). Involvement of prolactin‐releasing peptide in the activation of oxytocin neurones in response to food intake. Journal of neuroendocrinology, 25(5), 455-465. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jne.12019

Zhang, G., Bai, H., Zhang, H., Dean, C., Wu, Q., Li, J., Guariglia, S., Meng, Q., & Cai, D. (2011). Neuropeptide exocytosis involving synaptotagmin-4 and oxytocin in hypothalamic programming of body weight and energy balance. Neuron, 69(3), 523-535. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2010.12.036

Zhang, G., & Cai, D. (2011). Circadian intervention of obesity development via resting-stage feeding manipulation or oxytocin treatment. American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism, 301(5), E1004-E1012. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpendo.00196.2011

Zhang, H., Wu, C., Chen, Q., Chen, X., Xu, Z., Wu, J., & Cai, D. (2013). Treatment of obesity and diabetes using oxytocin or analogs in patients and mouse models. PLOS ONE, 8(5), e61477. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0061477