Tetsuya Tachibana

• Ehime University

Unmethylated cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) motifs are often found in bacteria and viruses, but are rare in mammals. In mammals, CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG ODN) stimulate the innate immune system via toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9). However, TLR9 is absent in birds; instead, TLR21 serves as the receptor for CpG ODN. While CpG ODN induce behaviora...

The pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and zymosan, derived from gram-negative bacteria and fungi, respectively, activate the innate immune system and cause injury to multiple organs, including the liver and intestine, in mammals. In rodents, PAMP-induced injury has been demonstrated to be potentiated by co-admi...

Food intake is regulated by several complicated synergistic mechanisms that are affected by a variety of internal and external influences. Some of these factors include those that are released from pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses, and most of these factors are associated with suppression of the chick’s food intake. Although chicks ar...

Neural tube defects (NTDs) cause fetal and pediatric deaths or lifelong neurological disabilities. No effective treatment is currently available for NTDs. We attempted to elucidate the pathogenesis of NTDs and propose a therapeutic strategy. Intra-amniotic treatment with prosaposin-derived 18-mer peptide (PS18) protected the spinal cord from second...

Bradykinin is a well-studied bioactive peptide associated with several physiological functions, including vasodilation and inflammation, in mammals. However, its avian homolog, ornithokinin, has received less research attention in birds. Therefore this study aimed to investigate the effect of intraperitoneal (IP) and intracerebroventricular (ICV) i...

Infections frequently accompany with non-specific symptoms such as anorexia and hyperthermia. In addition, there may be unpleasant sensations such as visceral discomfort during infection. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a Gram-negative bacteria cell wall component, is known to induce the unpleasant sensation of conditioned taste aversion in mammals. Howe...

Nitric oxide (NO) is a well-known gaseous signaling molecule that is involved in a variety of physiological and pathological processes in vertebrates. The role of NO in physiological responses of birds has been investigated primarily using NOS inhibitors. Therefore, the effect of the absence of NO is well characterized. However, there is little kno...

Nitric oxide (NO) is a gaseous bioactive molecule associated with many physiological functions including vasodilation and neurotransmission. NO also plays an important role in immune responses during viral infections in mammals. However, there is a paucity of knowledge regarding the involvement of NO in viral infections in birds. Therefore, the pur...

Zymosan, a component of yeast cell walls, reduces feed passage through the digestive tract in chicks (Gallus gallus), although the mechanism mediating this effect is poorly understood. Nitric oxide (NO) is associated with a variety of biological actions including effects on the immune system. In addition, it has been suggested that NO is involved i...

Central administration of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is associated with potent anorexia in rodents and chicks, although hypothalamic mechanisms are not fully understood. The objective of the present study was to identify hypothalamic nuclei and appetite-related factors that are involved in this anorexigenic effect, using chickens as a model. Intracere...

Flagellin (Flg) is a globular protein, found in bacterial flagella, that serves as a pathogen-associated molecular pattern and also serves as a toll-like receptor-5 (TLR5) ligand in vertebrates. Most ligands for TLRs are involved in non-specific effects such as anorexia and hypoactivity in an animal infected by bacteria. However, there is little kn...

1. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether zymosan, which is a component of fungi, affects feed passage through the digestive tract in chicks (Gallus gallus). 2. Intraperitoneal (IP) injection of 2.5 mg zymosan significantly reduced the crop-emptying rate and this effect was similar to that of 100 µg lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Zymosa...

Glycation is a non-enzymatic reaction inducing the bonding of glucose to amino acids and proteins. Glycated amino acids are not useful for protein synthesis, suggesting that glycation reduces the utilization of amino acids. Metformin (MF) is well known as a therapeutic drug for type II diabetes that inhibits glycation. It is possible that treatment...

Spina bifida aperta (SBA), one of the most common congenital malformations, causes various neurological disorders. Pain is a common complaint of patients with SBA. However, little is known about the neuropathology of SBA-related pain. Because loss of g-aminobutyric acid GABAergic neurons in the spinal cord dorsal horn is associated with pain, we hy...

Prolactin-releasing peptide (PrRP) increases food intake in birds whereas it is a potent satiety factor in rodents and fish. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of central injection of PrRP on feeding behavior and hypothalamic physiology in juvenile Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica). Intracerebroventricular injection of 1692 pmol of...

Zymosan is a cell wall component of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and produces severe inflammatory responses in mammals. When zymosan is peripherally injected in mammals, it induces several behavioral and physiological changes including anorexia and hyperthermia. However, to our knowledge, behavioral and physiological responses to zymosan have...

1. The purpose of the present study was to determine if an intraperitoneal injection of two toll-like receptor-7 (TLR7) agonists, imiquimod and resiquimod, affect feed intake, voluntary activity, cloacal temperature, crop emptying rate, plasma corticosterone (CORT) and glucose concentrations, and splenic gene expression of cytokines in chicks (Gall...

Gastrin releasing peptide (GRP) is involved in the stimulation of gastric acid release from the stomach. It also mediates effects on feeding behavior. It is associated with anorexigenic effects in both mammalian and avian species, but the mechanism of action is unknown in any species. The aim of the present study was thus to investigate the hypotha...

Mast cells are a type of immune cell widely distributed in the body of vertebrates. Mast cells have many granules that contain several bioactive molecules such as histamine, and these molecules are released through degranulation when the mast cell receives certain stimuli. Because the number of mast cells increases during infection in chickens (Gal...

Neuropeptide K (NPK) induces satiety in birds and mammals. We demonstrated that in birds this effect was associated with the hypothalamus, but beyond this little is known in any species regarding the central mechanism of action. Thus, this study was designed to identify hypothalamic molecular mechanisms associated with the food intake-inhibiting ef...

Central administration of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), a 41-amino acid peptide, is associated with potent anorexigenic effects in rodents and chickens. However, the mechanism underlying this effect remains unclear. Hence, the objective of the current study was to elucidate the hypothalamic mechanisms that mediate CRF-induced anorexia in 4...

Spina bifida aperta (SBA), one of the most common congenital malformations, causes various neurological disorders. Pain is a common complaint of patients with SBA. However, little is known about the neuropathology of SBA-related pain. Because loss of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic neurons in the spinal cord dorsal horn is associated with pain, we...

1. The purpose of the present study was to determine if intracerebroventricular (ICV) and intraperitoneal (IP) injection of polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly I:C), a viral mimetic that binds to toll-like receptor-3 (TLR3), affects food intake, voluntary activity, cloacal temperature, plasma corticosterone (CORT) and glucose concentrations, and...

Infectious conditions are associated with reduced food passage through the digestive tract in both mammals and chicks; however, the precise mechanism mediating this response in chicks remains unclear. The purpose of the present study was to determine if mast cells, a blood cell type which plays an important role in the immune system, might affect f...

Prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) is associated with a diverse array of functions in mammals including regulation of appetite, body temperature, sleep, and immune responses. Although much is known about the effects of PGD2 in mammals, there is a lack of information about its effects in birds. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to determine if in...

In mammals, anorexia accompanying infection is thought to be mediated via cytokines including interleukins, interferons (IFNs), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF). However, there is a lack of related knowledge on birds. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to determine if cytokines are associated with reduced food intake in chicks (Gallus g...

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l-tryptophan (l-Trp), an essential amino acid, is well known as a precursor of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and melatonin. In mammals, l-Trp itself has been reported to suppress gastric emptying in mammals. In addition, 5-HT and melatonin are found in the gastrointestinal tract and affect food passage from the digestive tract in mammals. While the fu...

Recently, we discovered a novel cDNA encoding the precursor of a small secretory protein, neurosecretory protein GL (NPGL), in the hypothalamic infundibulum of chickens. NPGL plays an important role in the regulation of growth and feeding. A database search indicated that the NPGL gene has a paralogous gene: neurosecretory protein GM (NPGM), also i...

Exposure to high ambient temperature is detrimental to the poultry industry. To understand the influence from a metabolic perspective, we investigated the effects of exposure to high ambient temperature on plasma low-molecular-weight metabolite levels in chicks using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry-based non-targeted metabolomic analysis. Heat...

Spina bifida aperta (SBA), one of the most common congenital malformations, causes lifelong neurological complications particularly in terms of motor dysfunction. Fetuses with SBA exhibit voluntary leg movements in utero and during early neonatal life but these disappear within the first few weeks after birth. However, the pathophysiological sequen...

Recently, we discovered a novel cDNA encoding the precursor of a small secretory protein, neurosecretory protein GL (NPGL), in the chicken mediobasal hypothalamus. In this study, immunohistochemical analysis revealed that NPGL was produced in the infundibular and medial mammillary nuclei of the mediobasal hypothalamus, with immunoreactive fibers al...

High ambient temperature, a major stressor, impairs the growth of chickens. In this study, we examined the effect of heat exposure on the mRNA expression of various growth related genes, such as growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF1), GH-releasing hormone (GHRH), thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), and somatostatin (SST) in layer...

1. The purpose of the present study was to determine if central interleukin-1β (IL1β), interleukin-6 (IL6), and interleukin-8 (IL8) affect feeding behaviour in chicks (Gallus gallus) and examine if central interleukins are related to the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced anorexia. 2. Intra-abdominal (IA) injection of LPS significantly suppressed fee...

1. We examined the effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a component of gram-negative bacteria, on food passage in the digestive tract of chickens (Gallus gallus) in order to clarify whether bacterial infection affects food passage in birds. 2. Food passage in the crop was significantly reduced by intraperitoneal (IP) injection of LPS while it did no...

The purpose of the present study was to clarify whether acute injection of stress-related hormones, corticosterone (CORT), norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (E) affect food passage in the crop of chicks (Gallus gallus). Subcutaneous (SQ) injection of CORT significantly retarded the food passage in the crop of chicks. Intraperitoneal (IP) injectio...

Exogenous administration of prolactin-releasing peptide (PrRP) exerts anorexigenic effects in rats while causing orexigenic effects in chicks. While the central mechanism mediating PrRP's effect on food intake in rodents is somewhat understood, in chicks information is lacking. Therefore, this study was designed to elucidate the hypothalamic mechan...

Background: The interaction between the effects of exogenous neurotransmitters and dietary composition on appetite regulation in nonmammalian species is unclear. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the effects of exogenous prolactin-releasing peptide (PrRP) and dietary macronutrient composition on food intake regulation in br...

Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), a stimulator of growth hormone (GH) secretion, is known to have several physiological roles such as the regulation of feeding behavior in mammals. Recently, we have reported that central injection of chicken GHRH decreased food intake in chicks, however, its peripheral role on feeding behavior has not been c...

Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) is well known as a stimulator of growth hormone (GH) secretion. GHRH not only stimulates GH release but also modifies feeding behavior and energy homeostasis in rodents. In chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus), on the other hand, two types of GHRH, namely, chicken GHRH (cGHRH) and cGHRH-like peptide (cGHRH-LP)...

Prolactin-releasing peptide (PrRP) is one of the RF-amide peptides and was originally identified in the bovine hypothalamus as a stimulator of prolactin (PRL) release. Independently, another RF-amide peptide was found in Japanese crucian carp and named Carassius-RFa (C-RFa), which shows high homology to PrRP and stimulates PRL secretion in teleost...

Exogenous administration of substance P (SP) exerts anorexigenic effects in both chicks and rats, but the central mechanism mediating this response is poorly understood. Therefore, this study was designed to elucidate mechanisms of SP-induced anorexia using chicks as models. Chicks that received intracerebroventricular (ICV) injections of SP dose-d...

In mammals, it is established that histamine is a neurotransmitter and/or neuromodulator in the central nervous system. It is produced by the enzyme histidine decarboxylase (HDC) in the tuberomammillary nucleus of the posterior hypothalamus. However, HDC as well as histaminergic neurons have not yet been characterized in the avian brain. We have cl...

Ghrelin, the endogenous ligand for growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a (GHS-R1a), stimulates food intake in mammals centrally and peripherally. In contrast, central injection of ghrelin inhibits feeding in neonatal chicks (Gallus gallus), which is thought to be mediated by the corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) system, indicating that the m...

Corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) plays an important role in response to stress, and exerts a physiological effect via its receptor, CRH receptor type-1 (CRH-R1) and CRH receptor type-2 (CRH-R2) with high affinity to CRH-R1 in mammals. Urocortin-3 (UCN-3), a CRH family peptide, is an endogenous ligand for CRH-R2 in mammals. The physiological r...

Mesotocin (MT) is a neurohypophysis hormone in non-mammalian vertebrates including chickens, and homologous of oxytocin (OT) in mammals. Oxytocin (OT) is a well known reproductive hormone in mammals, but the physiological roles of MT in chickens has not been clarified well. OT is thought to regulate feeding behavior because central and peripheral i...

We have recently identified prolactin (PRL)-releasing peptides (PrRPs) and their stimulating effects on feeding behaviour in chicks. To investigate further metabolic functions of PrRP, the present study was performed to clarify whether intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of PrRP31, an active form of PrRP in chicks, affects heat production (HP),...

Several neuropeptides possessing the RFamide motif at their C-termini (designated RFamide peptides) have been characterized in the hypothalamus of a variety of vertebrates. Since the discovery of the 26-amino acid RFamide peptide (termed 26RFa) from the frog brain, 26RFa has been shown to exert orexigenic activity in mammals and to be a ligand of t...

Galanin, a 29 residue peptide found in the hypothalamus, causes orexigenic effects in a variety of species. In the present study, we investigated appetite-associated effects of galanin in chicks from lines which have been selected from a common founder population for either low or high body weight. The low line consists of some anorexic individuals...

Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is expressed in central nervous systems and peripheral tissues across lower and higher vertebrates and is involved in many physiological functions. One of these functions is appetite regulation; however the mechanisms mediating this response are poorly understood. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to inves...

The anorexigenic effect of cholecystokinin (CCK) is well documented in mammals, but documentation in neonatal chicks is limited. Thus, the present study investigated the mechanism underlying the anorexigenic effect of CCK in neonatal chicks. Intraperitoneal (IP) injection of sulfated CCK(26-33) (CCK8S) significantly decreased food intake in chicks...

In rodents and goldfish, ghrelin is well known as an orexigenic peptide, and des-acyl ghrelin, which is a ghrelin gene-derived peptide lacking Ser-3 acylation, affects feeding behavior when injected with or without ghrelin. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of ghrelin inhibits food intake in chicks (Gallus gallus), but has the opposite eff...

Somatostatin is well known as an inhibitor of growth hormone release from the anterior pituitary. Its effects are exerted via 5 subtypes of receptors, which are named SSTR1 through 5. We recently reported that intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of somatostatin stimulates feeding behavior in chicks. However, the specific receptors which mediate...

Neuromedin B (NMB) and neuromedin C (NMC) are homologs of bombesin and are distributed throughout both the brain and gastrointestinal tract. The physiological roles of these bombesin-like peptides in chicks (Gallus gallus) have not been documented. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to measure the effects of these bombesin-like peptide...

Prolactin (PRL)-releasing peptides (PrRP) have been identified in mammals, amphibians and fishes, and these animals have several PrRPs that consist of different numbers of amino acids such as 20, 31 and 37. In the present study, we identified the cDNA encoding chicken prepro-PrRP, which can generate putative PrRPs, and cloned and sequenced it. Sequ...

The central mechanism that mediates litorin-induced satiety is poorly understood, and has not been studied in a non-mammalian species. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine if litorin-induced satiety in an alternative vertebrate model, the chick, and to elucidate some of the central mechanisms that are associated with this response. In...

Neuromedin S (NMS) is recognized as an anorexigenic peptide in the brain of mammals. In chicks (Gallus gallus), however, the effect of NMS has not been investigated. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to investigate whether intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of NMS affected feeding and drinking behavior in chicks. The injection of...

Gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) and neuromedin B (NMB) have been isolated as homologues of bombesin. Central administration of bombesin inhibits feeding behavior in chicks (Gallus gallus) while the effects of GRP and NMB have not been reported. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of GR...

Several neuropeptides with the C-terminal RFamide sequence have been identified in the hypothalamus of a variety of vertebrates. Among the RFamide peptide groups, however, only LPXRFamide peptides, including gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone, have been characterized in the avian brain. In the present study, we sought for the presence of other RFamide...

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether central administration of substance P (SP), a tachykinin neuropeptide, influenced feeding behavior in layer chicks (Gallus gallus). Intracerebroventricular (ICV) injections of 5 nmol SP decreased food intake in 5- and 6-day-old chicks under both ad libitum and 3-h fasting conditions. There a...

Although LPLRFamide was the first member of the RFamide family to be isolated from a vertebrate species, its effects on hunger and satiety-related processes are poorly documented. Thus, we intracerebroventricularly administered LPLRFamide (3.0-15.0 nmol) to both Cobb-500 (a broiler type of Gallus gallus) and Bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) chi...

Metastin, an RFamide peptide, has been isolated from human placenta and possesses several physiological actions in mammals. However, little is known about this bioactive peptide in avian species. This study was conducted to assess the effect of metastin on feeding behavior of chicks (Gallus gallus). The food intake of chicks is significantly increa...

The central mechanism that mediates stresscopin (SCP)-induced satiety is poorly understood, and its effect on avian appetite is not documented. Thus, this study was conducted to elucidate some of the central and behavioral mechanisms that are associated with SCP-induced satiety using broiler- and layer-type chicks (Gallus gallus) as model organisms...

The purpose of the present study was to determine if central administration of somatostatin influences feeding behavior in layer chicks. Five- to 7-day-old chicks that received intracerebroventricular (ICV) injections of 0.5 or 2 nmol somatostatin increased their food intake at 30 and 60 min after the injection, suggesting that central somatostatin...

The present study was designed to investigate the role of brain adrenergic alpha-2-receptors on feeding regulation of layer-type chicks. Intracerebroventricular injection of the adrenergic alpha-2-receptor agonist, clonidine, stimulated food intake. This effect was blocked by co-injection of the alpha-2-receptor antagonist, yohimbine, demonstrating...

Galanin is recognized as one of the orexigenic peptides in the brain of mammals and fishes. The amino acid sequence of chicken galanin and its distribution in the brain are similar to those of mammals, suggesting that the brain galanin might be related to feeding regulation in chicks. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether intr...

Gonadotropin-inhibiting hormone (GnIH) is a newly discovered hypothalamic hormone which suppresses gonadotropin synthesis and release from the anterior pituitary. Recently, we found that intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of GnIH stimulated feeding behavior of chicks (Gallus gallus) and suggested that GnIH is one of orexigenic peptides. Howeve...

Nitric oxide (NO) is known as an orexigenic factor in the brain of mammals and mediates the feeding-stimulatory effect of other factors such as neuropeptide Y (NPY). In neonatal chicks, however, we recently reported that NO might have an anorexigenic effect and suggested that the feeding-regulatory mechanism in chicks might be different from that i...

We investigated the effect of peripheral or central administration of N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), a nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor, on food intake in layer and broiler chicks (Gallus gallus). The intraperitoneal administration of L-NAME significantly decreased food intake in both broiler and layer chicks while the administrat...

Alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) is well known as an anorexigenic peptide in the brain of mammals. In addition to this, brain alpha-MSH enhances heat production (HP), indicating that the peptide acts as a catabolic factor in the regulation of energy metabolism. The anorexigenic effect of alpha-MSH is also observed in chicks (Gallus gallus...

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), derived from proglucagon, is thought to act as a negative regulator of energy homeostasis in mammals, since intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of GLP-1 inhibits feeding behavior and enhances energy expenditure. The anorexigenic effect of GLP-1 is also observed in chicks, but whether brain GLP-1 enhances energy...

Plasma Prolactin (PRL) and Corticosterone (CORT) concentrations in broiler- and layer-type chickens were compared during embryonic development (14 and 18 days of incubation (E14 and E18)) and at hatch (P0). Plasma PRL concentrations were comparable and kept low in both types during embryonic development, but the value sharply increased at P0 with s...

Alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) is recognized as an anorexic peptide in the brain of vertebrates, but its mechanism of action has not been identified in birds. Therefore, we investigated whether the anorexic effect of alpha-MSH is mediated by corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) in the domestic chick. Firstly, we found that intrac...

Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) are the members of the glucagon superfamily and bind to common receptors while PACAP also acts via the PACAP-specific receptor, PAC1. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of VIP and PACAP a...

This is a test-report of ghrelin levels in plasma and proventriculus, the glandular portion of the avian stomach, by using a specific radioimmunoassay for acylated ghrelin, as well as the expression of the ghrelin gene in the proventriculus after a 12-h fasting period followed by a 6-h feeding period with 6-day-old layer chicks. After fasting, the...

Kurauchi, I., Asechi, M., Tachibana, T., Han, L., Hayamizu, K., Denbow, D.M. and Furuse, M. 2007. Intracerebroventricular injection of tryptophan, but not lysine or methionine, induces a sedative effect during an acute stressful condition in neonatal chicks. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 31: 25–28.To elucidate the central effect of three essential amino aci...

We measured the concentrations of monoamines in the brain of Japanese medaka, Oryzias latipes, exposed to tributyltin (TBT). Fish were exposed to 0, 1, 5, 25, or 125 microg g(-1) of TBT via the diet for 21 days. After the administration period, six males and six females in each treatment group were dissected and their brains were collected. The fol...

Pyruvate can be synthesized from amino acids such as L-alanine, L-serine and L-cysteine. Recently, we reported that intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of L-serine and L-cysteine attenuated acute stress in chicks. This fact implies that amino acid substrates for pyruvate play a sedative role in the brain. However, no information was availabl...

To compare the hepatic function of broiler and layer chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) at various embryonic stages and hatching, the total lipid and triacylglycerol (TG) content were determined. The chicken embryos accumulated a large amount of lipids in the liver and the total lipid content gradually increased toward hatching, though no signific...

The aim of this study was to look at whether ghrelin has an anti-dipsogenic effect, as seen in the eel, when administered centrally in neonatal chicks. Intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of chicken ghrelin inhibited water intake (WI) in chicks under both ad libitum and 17-h water-deprived drinking conditions at doses ranging from 0.01 to 0.1nm...

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of neuropeptide Y (NPY) affects heat production (HP), body temperature, and plasma concentrations of metabolic fuels in chicks. ICV injection of NPY (0, 188 or 375 pmol) did not affect HP, but significantly lowered respiratory quotient as well as the...

Four experiments were conducted to clarify the central functions of L-serine and its analogs on an acute stressful condition. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of L-serine (0.21, 0.42 and 0.84 micromol) attenuated stress responses in a dose-dependent fashion, as well as induced sleep, in Experiment 1. The effects of L- and D-serine in Expe...

Emoto, F., Tomonaga, S., Tachibana, T., Denbow, D.M. and Furuse, M. 2006. Effect of centrally administered sphingomyelin on food intake and HPA axis in chicks. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 29: 91?96. Sphignomyelin (SM) is an abundant lipid in myelin and its metabolites are well recognized as bioactive substances. The aim of the present study was to investi...

Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) is a hypothalamic signal in the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis, and is well known as a hyperthermic hormone in the brain of chicks. The thermogenetic effect leads to the hypothesis that central TRH increases heat production (HP) in chicks. The purpose of the present study was to clarify whether central...

We compared heat production (HP) and lipid metabolism in broiler and layer chickens (Gallus gallus) during embryonic development. To investigate HP and respiratory quotient (RQ), oxygen (O2) consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) production were measured using an open-circuit calorimeter system. HP consistently had a tendency (P = 0.06) to be lower i...

(-)-Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a flavonoid, is the principal catechin found in green tea and is distributed in the brain after tea consumption. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of EGCG in the chick brain under an acute stressful condition and to clarify the mechanism by which EGCG attenuates stress behavior with spe...

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is recognized as an anorexic peptide in the brain of chicks. However, the mechanism underlying the inhibition of feeding has not been well studied. It is reported that GLP-1 activates neurons containing corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) in the brain of mammals. Since CRF is also an anorexic peptide, it is possibl...

Melatonin is involved in a variety of biological functions including sleep and stress. Our previous study indicated that neonatal layer chicks were more susceptible to stress than broilers. However, it is not clear whether differences exist in melatonin concentrations between both types of chickens, nor is it known whether melatonin is directly inv...

Prolactin-releasing peptide (PrRP) was named for its originally reported effects as a prolactin (PRL) secretagogue in mammals. Carassius RFamide (C-RFa) is an orthologous PRL secretagogue in fishes and a gene encoding a 20-amino acid peptide of identical sequence is present in the chicken. These facts suggest that C-RFa is a putative chicken PrRP....

Carnosine has been characterized as a putative neurotransmitter and implicated as having a possible role in neuron-glia cell interactions. We previously confirmed that central administration of carnosine induced hyperactivity in chicks. In the present study, we investigated the effects of nitric oxide (NO) synthase (NOS) inhibitors on carnosine-ind...

Takagi, T., Choi, Y-H., Tachibana, T., Denbow, D.M. and Furuse, M. 2005. Effect of intracerebroventricular injection of L-pipecolic acid on GABA concentrations in brain sites of neonatal chicks. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 28: 9–13.L-pipecolic acid (L-PA) is a major metabolic intermediate of L-lysine in the mammalian and chicken brain, which enhances y-am...