Enterostatin: a gut-brain peptide regulating fat intake in rat

The effect of enterostatin on high-fat food intake has been investigated. After 18 h of food deprivation, rats were injected intravenously with enterostatin (VPGPR). A dose of 38 nmol of enterostatin gave a significant inhibition of high-fat food intake, while at a higher dose of 76 nmol the inhibiting effect was lost. During the first hour, after injection of enterostatin, there was even a slight increase in food intake. Binding studies of tritiated enterostatin to crude brain membranes indicated one binding site with high affinity (Kd = 0.5 nM) and one with low affinity (Kd = 170 nM). The two dissociation constants suggest different receptor subtypes and could explain why enterostatin both can inhibit and, at high doses, stimulate fat intake in rats.