Abstract
Ovariectomized female rats were subcutaneously implanted with silicone capsules containing estradiol (n=11), which maintained physiological levels of plasma estradiol, or cholesterol (n=10) as control at the age of 9 weeks. Body weight, amount of food intake and water consumption were recorded twice daily during a 2 week period starting one week before the capsule implantation. Estradiol treatment induced suppression of daily food intake and body weight gain in animals carrying estradiol capsules as compared with those carrying cholesterol one, whereas there was no apparent estradiol effect on water intake. The extent of suppression of both body weight gain and food intake were indistinguishable between the light and the dark phases. The present results suggest that the mechanism which mediates the inhibition of body weight gain and the reduction of food intake is not directly linked with that generating diurnal rhythmicity.
