Introduction: The purpose of this study was to test the continuing validity of the hypothesis that neuropeptide Y (NPY) produced in the brain controls food intake through an interaction with the NPY Y(5) receptor subtype.
Methods: The hypothesis was tested using CGP 71683A a potent and highly selective non-peptide antagonist of the NPY Y(5) receptor which was administered into the right lateral ventricle of obese Zucker fa/fa rats.
Results: Intraventricular injection of 3.4 nmol/kg NPY increased food intake during a 2 h test period. Doses of CGP 71683A in excess of 15 nmol/kg (i.cv.) resulted in blockade of the increase in food intake produced by NPY. Repeated daily injection of CGP 71683A (30--300 nmol/kg, i.cv.) immediately before the dark phase produced a dose-dependent and slowly developing decrease in food intake. CGP 71683A has a low affinity for NPY Y(1), Y(2) and Y(4) receptors but a very high affinity for the NPY Y(5) receptor (Ki, 1.4 nM). Surprisingly, CGP 71683A had similarly high affinity for muscarinic receptors (Ki, 2.7 nM) and for the serotonin uptake recognition site (Ki, 6.2 nM) in rat brain. Anatomic analysis of the brain after treatment with CGP 71683A demonstrated an inflammatory response associated with the fall in food intake.
Conclusions: While the fall in food intake in response to CGP 71683A may have a Y(5) component, interactions with other receptors or inflammatory mediators may also play a role. It is concluded that CGP 71683A is an imprecise tool for investigating the role of the NPY Y(5) receptor in the control of physiological processes including food intake. International Journal of Obesity (2001) 25, 84-94