Table 3. POSTPRANDIAL NUMBER c-fos PROTEIN POSITIVE CELLS

NTS, nucleus of the solitary tract.

*P < .001 MK329 vs. vehicle of same NTS level.

†P < .005 gastrectomy vs. corresponding unoperated control.

THE POSTPRANDIAL NUMBER c-fos PROTEIN POSITIVE CELLS IN THE NTS 90 MIN AFTER THE START OF FOOD INTAKE (FI) WAS INCREASED ABOUT 2–4 FOLD IN GASTRECTOMIZED RATS COMPARED TO UNOPERATED CONTROLS INDEPENDENTLY OF VEHICLE OR MK329 TREATMENT. MK329 SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED THE NUMBER OF IMMUNOPOSITIVE CELLS AT THE LEVEL OF THE AREA POSTREMA BOTH IN UNOPERATED CONTROLS AND IN GASTRECTOMIZED RATS BY 54% AND 56%, RESPECTIVELY, BUT NOT AT THE OTHER NTS LEVELS. THIS REDUCED NUMBER OF IMMUNOPOSITIVE CELLS BY MK329 TREATMENT CORRELATED WITH IN AN INCREASED FI IN UNOPERATED CONTROLS (FI VEHICLE: 1.37 ± 0.13 G/100G BW; MK329: 2.24 ± 0.29 G/100G BW; P < 0.005; 63% INCREASE OF FOOD INTAKE) AS WELL AS IN GASTRECTOMIZED RATS (FI VEHICLE: 0.80 ± 0.08 G/100G BW; MK329: 1.47 ± 0.17 G/100G BW; P < 0.005; 84% INCREASE OF FOOD INTAKE).