Zucker obese rats: defect in brain histamine control of feeding.

Manipulation of hypothalamic histamine produced different effects on feeding between the Zucker obese (fa/fa) and their lean littermate rats (Fa/-). Infusion of a histamine H1-receptor antagonist into the third cerebroventricle elicited feeding in the lean and Wistar King A rats, but it did not affect feeding in the obese rats. To enhance hypothalamic neuronal histamine, thioperamide, and H3-receptor antagonist, was similarly infused. The lean and Wistar rats decreased their food intake after the infusion, but thioperamide produced no significant effect on feeding in the obese rats. Infusion of histamine into the third cerebroventricle mimicked the effects of thioperamide on feeding: reduction of food intake in the lean and Wistar rats, but no significant change in the obese rats. Hypothalamic histamine of the obese rats (0.430 nmol/g) was significantly lower than the lean (1.209 nmol/g) and Wistar rats (4.838 nmol/g). The histamine concentration of the cerebral cortex in the obese rats was also lower than the non-obese animals. The results indicate that the feeding abnormality of Zucker obese rats may be at least due to disturbance of histamine suppressive signals both at presynaptic and postsynaptic levels.