A study on stomach and plasma ghrelin levels in high fat diet-induced obesity-prone and obesity-resistant rats

Objective:To explore the difference of plasma ghrelin and ghrelin expression in stomach between high fat diet induced obesity-prone(OP)and obesity-resistance-prone(ORP)rats.Method:Twenty male Wistar rats were fed with high fat diet for 10 weeks and then were divided into obesity-prone group and obesity-resistant group according to weight gain.There were six rats in each group.Body weight,food intake,and visceral fat were measured.Glucose,triglyeride(TG),total cholesterol(TC),high density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),low density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C),insulin and ghrelin were assayed in fasting plasma.Ghrelin expression in stomach were investigated by Western Blot.Result:Body weight gain,energy efficiency,and visceral fat depots in OP rats were significantly higher than ORP rats(P0.01);Compared with ORP rats,OP rats had an increased tend in plasma ghrelin(P=0.07)and a significantly elevated expression in stomach ghrelin(P0.01);Stomach ghrelin expression was positively correlated to body weight gain,weights of perirenal fat pads in the high fat diet-fed rats. Conclusion:Ghrelin expression in stomach may affect obesity-prone or obesity-resistance-prone development in the rats fed with high fat diet.