Decreased Immunoreactivity of the Melanocortin Neuropeptide α-Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormone (α-MSH) After Chronic Ethanol Exposure in Sprague-Dawley Rats
The melanocortin (MC) system is composed of peptides that are cleaved from the polypeptide precursor proopiomelanocortin (POMC). Recent pharmacologic and genetic evidence suggests that MC receptor (MCR) signaling modulates neurobiologic responses to ethanol and ethanol intake. Because ethanol decreases POMC mRNA levels, we determined if exposure to an ethanol-containing diet (ED) would significantly reduce central immunoreactivity of the MC peptide α-MSH in rats. We also determined if ethanol exposure would alter the immunoreactivity of agouti-related protein (AgRP), an endogenous MCR antagonist
