Celiac and the cranial mesenteric arteries supply gastrointestinal sites that regulate meal size and intermeal interval length via cholecystokinin-58 in male rats

• The gut may contain sites of action regulating MS and IMI by cholecystokinin-58 (CCK-58).
• CCK-58 was infused in the celiac and the cranial mesenteric arteries (CA and CMA).
• Meal size (MS) and intermeal interval (IMI) were measured.
• The CA and CMA supply sites of action that regulate MS and IMI by CCK-58.

The site(s) of action that control meal size and intermeal interval (IMI) length by cholecystokinin-58 (CCK-58), the only detectable endocrine form of CCK in the rat, are not known. To test the hypothesis that the gastrointestinal tract may contain such sites, we infused low doses of CCK-58 (0.01, 0.05, 0.15 and 0.25 nmol/kg) into the celiac artery (CA, supplying stomach and upper duodenum), the cranial mesenteric artery (CMA, supplying small and most of the large intestines), the femoral artery (FA, control) and the portal vein (PV, draining the gastrointestinal tract) prior to the onset of the dark cycle in freely fed male rats. We measured the first meal size (chow), second meal size, IMI and satiety ratio (SR, IMI/meal size). We found that (1) all doses of CCK-58 given in the CA and the highest dose given in the CMA reduced the first meal size, (2) all doses of CCK-58 given in the CA reduced the second meal size, (3) a CCK-58 dose of 0.15 nmol/kg given in the CA and 0.15 and 0.25 nmol/kg given in the CMA prolonged the IMI, (4) CCK-58 (0.05, 0.15, 0.25 nmol/kg) given in the CA and 0.25 nmol/kg given in the CMA increased the SR, and (5) CCK-58 given in the FA and PV had no effect on the meal size or intermeal interval. These results support our hypothesis that the gastrointestinal tract contains sites of action that regulate meal size and IMI length via CCK-58. The stomach and upper duodenum may contain sites regulating meal size, whereas the small intestine and part of the large intestine may contain sites regulating the IMI.