〈Original 〉5-Aminolevulinic acid reduces food intake

Abstract

publisher<Synopsis>5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is precursor of tetrapyrrole compounds such as heme, chlorophyll and cobalamin. Recent study has been shown that ALA reduces glucose levels during fasting and after glucose loading in prediabetic subjects. Previously, we reported that administration of ALA ameliorates diabetic conditions such as blood glucose levels and hemoglobin A1c in Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats, a model of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Furthermore, it was indicated that ALA reduces food intake and body weight in OLETF rats. The mechanisms of food intake reduction by ALA is not clear. We demonstrated that the effect of intragastrical and intracerebroventricular administration of ALA and the central GABAergic system of food intake. SD rats were intragastrically or intracerebroventricularly administrated ALA. Food intake reductions was shown in three hours after intragastrical administration of ALA. It was also shown that intracerebroventricular administration of ALA reduces food intake. In this study, the effect of GABAergic system of food intake of ALA was not clear. However, these results suggest that ALA reduces food intake via central nervous systems