| Abstract |
AIM: To determine
if exogenous oestradiol or the phyto-oestrogen genistein could reduce food
intake in male and female cats fed ad libitum that had been allowed to accrue
excessive bodyfat following neutering. METHODS: Sixteen adult (eight female,
eight male) cats were neutered and allowed to increase their bodyweight (BW)
through feeding ad libitum of a complete and balanced dry diet. Oestradiol was
injected subcutaneously for 5-day periods in incremental doses (0.25-4 microg
per cat), then food intake was recorded, and vaginal cytological changes were
observed in females. Similarly, genistein was administered orally for 5-day
periods in incremental doses (5-100 mg/kg). RESULTS: In males and females, both
oestradiol (p<0.001) and genistein (p=0.037) significantly reduced food intake
during treatment, and the minimum daily doses that produced a significant
effect were 0.5 mug and 100 mg/kg, respectively. The minimum daily dose of
oestradiol that produced a significant effect on food intake was not associated
with changes in vaginal cytology over the 5-day treatment period. CONCLUSIONS
AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Gonadal oestradiol appeared to be a key modulator of
food intake in both male and female cats, and replacement of oestrogen to
neutered cats via oestradiol or an oestrogen surrogate such as genistein has
potential for reducing the prevalence of obesity in neutered cats. PMID:
17534412 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] |
