Opposing effects of intra-nucleus accumbens mu and kappa opioid agonists on sensory specific satiety

Mu opioid (MOP) agonists acting in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) robustly enhance consumption of palatable foods. In addition, the effect on consumption of palatable foods produced by MOP agonists acting in the NAcc depends on both recent flavor exposure and the availability of a choice between different-flavored foods. In contrast, kappa opioid (KOP) agonists have variable effects on feeding and KOP agonists have MOP opposing behavioral actions when microinjected at several brain sites. We previously demonstrated that NAcc MOP agonists reverse the devaluation (satiety) effect of pre-feeding for a given flavor; in fact, NAcc MOP agonists selectively increase consumption of a recently sampled food. In contrast, in the present study, we found that the selective KOP agonist U50488 injected into the NAcc of rats reduced consumption of a recently sampled flavor while increasing consumption of the flavor that was not pre-fed. Intra-NAcc U50488 did not affect overall consumption or flavor preference in the absence of pre-feeding. The present data, in conjunction with our previous findings, highlight the robust and opposing role of NAcc MOP and KOP opioid receptors in palatability-based food choice and consumption and raise the possibility that an endogenous KOP agonist acting in the NAcc contributes to the phenomenon of sensory specific satiety.