Meal patterns reveal differential effects of vagotomy and tropisetron on responses to indispensable amino acid deficiency in rats

Rats offered an amino acid-imbalanced diet (IMB) respond to the ensuing amino acid deficiency rapidly with a decrease in food intake of at least 50%. Pretreatment with tropisetron (TROP), an antagonist at serotonin(3) (5-HT3) and 5-HT4 receptors, increases intake of IMB to approximately 85% of control. Vagotomy has two effects: it increases intake of an IMB to about 65%, and also blocks the increased response to tropisetron. This indicates that the greater IMB intake after tropisetron, similar to 20% more than in vagotomized rats, is dependent on an intact vagus. Rats were either 1) vagotomized or sham-operated, or 2) given tropisetron or saline injections. We then examined free-feeding meal patterns in rats fed an IMB to determine whether the microstructure of the feeding behavior differed, either between treatments, or by comparison with the meal patterns in rats fed the control diet. Vagotomy did not alter meal patterns in rats consuming the basal control diet. During the first 6 h after introduction of the IMB, the control rats showed significantly longer intermeal intervals (over twice the length of intervals recorded in those fed the basal diet), with corresponding effects on meal numbers, which were restored to basal values in tropisetron and vagotomized rats. Meal size was increased after vagotomy also. After 6 h, in intact topisetron-treated rats only, a fourfold faster rate of eating throughout the late dark period accounted for the significantly greater intake of the IMB than in controls. The results demonstrated differential effects of the two treatments on the anorectic responses to amino acid deficiency.