Cobalt-protoporphyrin suppresses expression of genetic obesity in homozygous (fa/fa) Zucker rats. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Profound obesity is conferred on the Zucker rat by homozygosity for a recessive gene (fa/fa); the heterozygous animal is lean. Subcutaneous administration of the heme analogue cobalt-protoporphyrin produces a long-sustained reduction in body weight of the homozygous Zucker rat. Intracerebroventricular injection of the compound, in a single small dose, results in an extremely prolonged (approximately 300 days) lowering of the 'set point' for body weight regulation, confirming a central nervous system action of the metalloporphyrin. The effect of cobalt-protoporphyrin is so pronounced that the phenotype of the homozygous, obese Zucker rat is changed to that of its lean littermate.

publication date

  • January 1, 1990

Research

keywords

  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Obesity
  • Protoporphyrins

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 0025203210

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1159/000138738

PubMed ID

  • 2092333

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 41

issue

  • 5