ACBP/DBI concentrations decreased in anorexia mice and various Acbp knockout mice. Image credit: Science Translational Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adl0715
A large, multi-institutional team of medical researchers reports that administering the peptide ACBP to anorexic mice stimulated eating. In their article published in the journal Science Translational MedicineThe group describes their investigation of the binding protein and its role in stimulating appetite in mice.
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder in which a person eats less food than necessary. It is best known as a disorder that occurs when a person is afraid of gaining weight, sometimes due to body dysmorphia.
But the disorder can also have other causes, such as stress leading to loss of appetite. Patients receiving chemotherapy also often lose their appetite. In this new study, the research team wondered whether it might be possible to restore appetite.
They focused their efforts on the binding protein acyl coenzyme (ACBP), which is known to stimulate hunger through interactions with certain brain neurons. Previous research has shown that people with anorexia tend to have lower levels in their bloodstream – some research has also found links between ACBP levels and hunger stimulation.
The researchers analyzed the medical records of people hospitalized for anorexia. All had lower than normal ACBP levels. This finding may explain the high relapse rate in this disorder.
Because ACBP is only released into the body when cells break down, the research team had to find another way to get anorexic mice to produce more of it naturally. They genetically modified their liver cells so that they produced ACBP when exposed to biotin – some of the mice then became anorexic through stress, others through the administration of chemotherapy drugs.
After inducing anorexia symptoms, the team gave the mice biotin to increase their ACBP levels. This helped overcome stress and chemotherapy drugs, allowing the mice to feel hungry and start eating. The researchers also found that the added ACBP dampened the activity of melanocortin-4 receptors in the hypothalamus, which are known to play a role in appetite suppression.
Further information:
Hui Chen et al, Acyl-CoA binding protein for experimental treatment of anorexia, Science Translational Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adl0715
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Quote: Administration of the peptide ACBP to anorexic mice stimulates eating (August 15, 2024), accessed August 15, 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-08-peptide-acbp-anorexic-mice.html
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