Hepatic portal infusion of glucagon antibodies increases spontaneous meal size in rats

Abstract

Specific antibodies to pancreatic glucagon in a dose sufficient to neutralize 1.5 ng glucagon in vitro were intraportally infused during the first 2 min of spontaneous meals in ad libitum-fed male Sprague-Dawley rats. In separate tests, glucagon antibodies stimulated feeding during the first spontaneous meal of the dark phase (73% mean increase in meal size) and during spontaneous meals in the last quarter of the dark phase (58% increase). These results indicate that a glucagon-sensitive satiety mechanism has a physiological role in the control of nocturnal feeding in rats.