Obesity and undernourishment are two extremes with a common underlying aetiology – food intake and hunger. Both of these issues are becoming increasingly problematic worldwide, therefore there is a need to develop new therapies to address such issues. Investigation of a forgotten, mediaeval Scottish plant may hold the key to combatting both. Lathyrus linifolius (LL) tubers were once used as an appetite suppressant in times when food was scarce. Additionally, they are thought to be able to quench thirst, and increase alertness. The aims of this study were: 1) to collect and identify these tubers and develop a method using ISSR-PCR to confirm their identity for future commercialisation; 2) investigate the in vivo effects of the tuber in terms of food intake, water intake, body weight and physical activity; 3) identify possible active components in the tuber and assess the biological activity of crude extracts obtained via Soxhlet extraction; and, 4) re-assess the in vivo effects by conducting RNA sequencing on hypothalamic tissue. LL tubers had no effect on food intake, water intake, body weight or physical activity in vivo. However, evidence was generated in this study which suggests the tuber had an effect at gene expression level within the hypothalamus, which is the primary centre for appetite control. Specifically, genes involved in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) were effected including growth hormone (GH), lutinising hormone (LH), serotonin (5-HT), brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF), kisspeptin, kisspeptin receptor, prolactin (PRL), adiponectin, peptide YY (PYY) and neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase 3 (NTRK3). The cause of the effects are unknown, however it may be due to multiple compounds present within the tuber. Investigation of such compounds led to the identification of a novel compound, lathyrosaponin A. The biological activity of this compound remains unknown, however, the crude extract from which it was identified showed significant (P
| Date of Award | 12 Oct 2017 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Awarding Institution | - University Of Strathclyde
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| Sponsors | University of Strathclyde & BBSRC (Biotech & Biological Sciences Research Council) |
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