Cholecystokinin, bombesin and neurotensin in brain tissue from obese animals.

The concentration of cholecystokinin (the octapeptide, CCK-8), bombesin, and neurotensin was measured by radioimmunoassay in the cortex, hypothalamus and diencephalon of brains from lean, genetically obese and hypothalamic (VMH) obese rodents. Highest concentration of CCK-8 was found in the cortex whereas highest concentrations of bombesin and neurotensin were in the hypothalamus. When food was provided ad libitum, there was no difference in concentration of any of these peptides between lean and the respective genetically obese mice (ob/ob) and fatty (fa/fa) rats, or between lean and hypothalamic (VMH lesioned) obese rats. Adrenalectomy, which arrested the progression of obesity in both ob/ob and fatty rats, did not result in significant change in concentration of any of the three peptides studied in comparison with the respective sham-operated animals. Though significant differences in cholecystokinin and bombesin concentrations were detectable in some instances between adrenalectomized lean and adrenalectomized obese rats, these differences did not appear to be related to fall in food intake or slowing of body weight gain. Thus a variety of manipulations which altered the nutritional plane of the experimental rodents was not accompanied by significant changes in brain concentrations of cholecystokinin, bombesin or neurotensin.