Contributions of the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex to energy and body weight regulation

The effects of selective ibotenate lesions of the complete hippocampus (CHip), the hippocampal ventral pole (VP), or the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in male rats were assessed on several measures related to energy regulation (i.e., body weight gain, food intake, body adiposity, metabolic activity, general behavioral activity, conditioned appetitive responding). The testing conditions were designed to minimize the nonspecific debilitating effects of these surgeries on intake and body weight. Rats with CHip and VP lesions exhibited significantly greater weight gain and food intake compared with controls. Furthermore, CHip-lesioned rats, but not rats with VP lesions, showed elevated metabolic activity, general activity in the dark phase of the light-dark cycle, and greater conditioned appetitive behavior, compared with control rats without these brain lesions. In contrast, rats with mPFC lesions were not different from controls on any of these measures. These results indicate that hippocampal damage interferes with energy and body weight regulation, perhaps by disrupting higher-order learning and memory processes that contribute to the control of appetitive and consummatory behavior.     

甘草黄酮类化合物对酪氨酸酶单酚酶的抑制

研究了甘草中四种黄酮类化合物甘草甙、异甘草素．葡萄糖芹菜甙、异甘草甙和甘草查耳酮甲对酪氨酸酶单酚酶活性的抑制。结果表明异甘草素-葡萄糖芹菜甙、异甘草甙和甘草查耳酮甲的IC50分别为0．072mM,,0．038mM,0.0258mM,它们都属于竞争性抑制剂,甘草甙没有抑制活性。研究表明,异甘草素．葡萄糖芹菜甙、异甘草甙和甘草查耳酮甲可以作为潜在的美白化妆品添加剂。