Physiological Effects of Modified Obestatin Analogues in Rats

Currently, the problem of regulating eating behavior is becoming increasingly relevant due to the spread of obesity and related comorbid diseases. Obesity increases the risk of many cardiovascular, respiratory and musculoskeletal diseases also accompanied by emotional disorders and the development of depressive states, which reduces life quality and duration. Endogenous peptide regulators, in particular obestatin and its derivatives, often appear among potential pharmacological correctors of body weight and eating behavior. The effects of a course of intranasal administration of two modified obestatin 1–4 (FNAP) fragments were studied on body weight, feed and water intake, as well as on a number of physiological parameters characterizing the functional state of rats. The aim was to assess the potential value of the studied fragments as a basis for developing anorexigenic regulators. It was shown that anorexigenic effect of the hexapeptide FNAPEP-NH2 is due to a decrease in feed intake, in addition, the peptide had anxiolytic and analgesic effects and led to a decrease in locomotor activity of experimental animals. The reduction in body weight gain under the influence of the longer fragment FNAPVEP-NH2 occurred against a background of unaltered food and water intake and was not accompanied by changes in spontaneous behavior, anxiety levels, or pain threshold in the animals. This makes the aforementioned fragment preferable as a basis for creating drugs to regulate feeding behavior.