Nesfatin-1: An Overview and Future Clinical Application

• Published in: Endocrine Journal 2009, Vol.56(4), pp.537-543
• Main Authors: SHIMIZU, Hiroyuki, OH-I, Sinsuke, OKADA, Shuichi, MORI, Masatomo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Appetite Depressants - pharmacology; Body weight; Calcium-Binding Proteins - physiology; DNA-Binding Proteins - physiology; Eating - drug effects; Food intake; Leptin; Male; Mice; Mice, Obese; Molecular Sequence Data; Nerve Tissue Proteins - physiology; Nesfatin-1; Obesity; Peptide Fragments - pharmacology; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Rats, Zucker; Sequence Alignment
• ISSN: 0918-8959; 1348-4540
• DOI: 10.1507/endocrj.K09E-117

Nesfatin/nucleobindin 2 (NUCB2) is expressed in the appetite-control hypothalamic nuclei and brainstem nuclei. Nesfatin/NUCB2 expression in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus was modulated by starvation and refeeding. Intracerebroventricular administration of nesfatin-1 dose-dependently inhibited food intake for 6 hours in male Wistar and leptin resistant, Zucker fatty rats. Intraperitoneal administration of nesfatin-1 and its mid-segment (M30) dosedependentlyinhibited food intake for 3 hours in male ICR mice. Intraperitoneal administration of M30 also decreased foodintake in leptin-resistant, genetically obese (ob/ob), diabetic (db/db) mice and mice fed a 45% high fat diet for 28 days. Intraperitoneal administration of M30 increased proopiomelanocortin and cocaine- and amphetamine- related peptide mRNA expression in the nucleus of the solitary tract of mice. In addition, intranasal administration of nesfatin-1 significantly inhibited food intake for 6 hours in male Wistar rats. We summarize recent observations about nesfatin-1, and attempt to present future direction of nesfatin-1 research for developing a new anti-obesity treatment.