Date Received: 26-02-2025 / Date Published: 07-03-2025
The purpose of this study was to clarify the role and mechanism of ghrelin's effect on feeding behavior in mice. We used PACAP antagonist combined with monitoring food intake in mice. The study results showed that ghrelin increased food intake in mice after 1 hour of treatment. Notably, the decrease in food intake was more pronounced in PACAP knockout mice after ghrelin treatment, compared to the reduction in food intake observed in wild-type mice treated with the PACAP antagonist PACAP6-38. Furthermore, after 1 hour of ghrelin treatment, we observed a decrease in the expression level of the GLP1R receptor in the nucleus accumbens of PACAP knockout mice, suggesting that the expression of the GLP1R receptor in this region may be regulated by ghrelin. These findings provide evidence that ghrelin and PACAP interact in regulating food intake, but ghrelin may also act through other signaling pathways that are not entirely dependent on PACAP, and suggest that GLP1R antagonists may have potential in preventing weight gain and could serve as an important therapeutic strategy against obesity in the future.
