Biomaterial Database

Effects of nicotine on body weight and plasma insulin in female and male rats. 1994

M I Saah, and M Raygada, and N E Grunberg

Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland 20814-4799.

There is an inverse relationship between nicotine and body weight. It has been proposed that this inverse relationship is partially mediated by insulinergic actions, but the effect of nicotine on insulin only has been reported for male rats. The present experiment was designed to examine the effect of nicotine administration on body weight and plasma insulin in female and male rats. In addition, the effects of anesthesia prior to sacrifice on plasma insulin were examined. Nicotine reduced body weight and plasma insulin in female and male rats. In addition, the use of an anesthetic prior to sacrifice was associated with higher plasma insulin levels for male rats. These findings are consistent with the interpretation that insulinergic mechanisms play a role in the nicotine-body weight relationship.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007328	Insulin	A 51-amino acid pancreatic hormone that plays a major role in the regulation of glucose metabolism, directly by suppressing endogenous glucose production (GLYCOGENOLYSIS; GLUCONEOGENESIS) and indirectly by suppressing GLUCAGON secretion and LIPOLYSIS. Native insulin is a globular protein comprised of a zinc-coordinated hexamer. Each insulin monomer containing two chains, A (21 residues) and B (30 residues), linked by two disulfide bonds. Insulin is used as a drug to control insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (DIABETES MELLITUS, TYPE 1).	Iletin,Insulin A Chain,Insulin B Chain,Insulin, Regular,Novolin,Sodium Insulin,Soluble Insulin,Chain, Insulin B,Insulin, Sodium,Insulin, Soluble,Regular Insulin
D008297	Male		Males
D009538	Nicotine	Nicotine is highly toxic alkaloid. It is the prototypical agonist at nicotinic cholinergic receptors where it dramatically stimulates neurons and ultimately blocks synaptic transmission. Nicotine is also important medically because of its presence in tobacco smoke.	Nicotine Bitartrate,Nicotine Tartrate
D010424	Pentobarbital	A short-acting barbiturate that is effective as a sedative and hypnotic (but not as an anti-anxiety) agent and is usually given orally. It is prescribed more frequently for sleep induction than for sedation but, like similar agents, may lose its effectiveness by the second week of continued administration. (From AMA Drug Evaluations Annual, 1994, p236)	Mebubarbital,Mebumal,Diabutal,Etaminal,Ethaminal,Nembutal,Pentobarbital Sodium,Pentobarbital, Monosodium Salt,Pentobarbitone,Sagatal,Monosodium Salt Pentobarbital
D001835	Body Weight	The mass or quantity of heaviness of an individual. It is expressed by units of pounds or kilograms.	Body Weights,Weight, Body,Weights, Body
D005260	Female		Females
D000704	Analysis of Variance	A statistical technique that isolates and assesses the contributions of categorical independent variables to variation in the mean of a continuous dependent variable.	ANOVA,Analysis, Variance,Variance Analysis,Analyses, Variance,Variance Analyses
D000758	Anesthesia	A state characterized by loss of feeling or sensation. This depression of nerve function is usually the result of pharmacologic action and is induced to allow performance of surgery or other painful procedures.
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D012737	Sex Factors	Maleness or femaleness as a constituent element or influence contributing to the production of a result. It may be applicable to the cause or effect of a circumstance. It is used with human or animal concepts but should be differentiated from SEX CHARACTERISTICS, anatomical or physiological manifestations of sex, and from SEX DISTRIBUTION, the number of males and females in given circumstances.	Factor, Sex,Factors, Sex,Sex Factor