Endogenous sugar acid derivative acting as a feeding suppressant.

Evidence suggests that endogenous sugar acids 3,4-dihydroxybutanoic acid (2-deoxytetronic acid, 2-DTA) and 2,4,5-trihydroxypentanoic acid (3-deoxypentonic acid, 3-DPA) may participate in the regulation of feeding. To study the effect of 2-buten-4-olide, a 2-DTA synthetic derivative, on food intake, male Wistar rats were subjected to various applications. Intraperitoneal administration of 2-buten-4-olide in doses of 30 to 100 mg/kg, decreased food intake dose-dependently by reducing meal frequency, meal size and eating rate, and prolonging meal duration, latency to eat the first meal after injection and post-prandial intermeal intervals. Drinking patterns and locomotor activity were not significantly affected. Administration of 2-buten-4-olide intragastrically in doses of 50 to 300 mg/kg, and intra-third cerebroventricularly in doses of 1.2 to 5.0 mumol/rat, dose-dependently reduced food intake. This and previous evidence suggest that: 2-DTA and its derivatives that share its bioactive components suppress food intake in the rat; They might represent a new category of potential therapeutic agents for hyperphagia and obesity.