Reducing binge eating behavior in rats using the novel ghrelin receptor antagonist Agrelax

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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder, characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating during which a person consumes excessive amounts of food in the absence of hunger. These episodes of binge eating are usually accompanied by a feeling of lack of control with an inability to refrain from eating or stop eating once it has started. A rodent model of binge eating disorder shows that intermittent consumption of energy-dense foods induces binge eating behavior independent of weight gain.

AIM: To study the effect of the ghrelin receptor antagonist Agrelax on compulsive overeating in rats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study involved 30 male Wistar rats. To model compulsive overeating, animals received high-calorie food (a mixture based on chocolate-nut butter spread) 3 times a week while maintaining free access to standard pelleted food and water. Compulsivity in behavior was assessed using the pellet burying test. The ghrelin receptor antagonist Agrelax was administered intranasally, 1 µg/1 µl, 10 µl in each nostril for 7 days.

RESULTS: Compulsive behavior was assessed using the pellet burying test. The experimental group of animals receiving a high-calorie diet buried a significantly larger number of pellets than the control group (p < 0.01). After a 7-day course of Agrelax, the number of buried balls decreased significantly, reaching the values of the control group (p < 0.05). A technique for compulsive overeating in rats was developed by giving high-calorie food 3 times a week. After a 7-day course of Agrelax, the consumption of high-calorie foods significantly decreased (p < 0.05). The daily consumption of standard feed in the group did not differ compared to the control group. However, after the course of Agrelax administration, the consumption of standard feed decreased.

CONCLUSIONS: The data obtained suggest new ways of synthesizing peptide pharmacological agents based on ghrelin and its antagonists for the correction of food addiction.

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About the authors

Natalia D. Nadbitova

Institute of Experimental Medicine

Author for correspondence.
Email: natali_805@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-2957-226X
SPIN-code: 4153-1270

Researcher of the S.V. Anichkov Department of Neuropharmacology

Russian Federation, Saint Petersburg

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2. Fig. 1. Assessment of compulsive behavior in the marble test. CO, compulsive overeating. ** p < 0,01; # p < 0,05

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3. Fig. 2. The effect of the new ghrelin receptor antagonist Agrelax on the consumption of standard pelleted food and high-calorie food in rats in a model of compulsive overeating (CO). * p < 0.05

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