Abstract
The effects of intraperitoneally injected δ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) were compared with d-amphetamine sulfate (d-AMP) on food intake in rats which were given access to food for 6 hrs each day. Food intake was markedly reduced in a dose-related fashion by THC (2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg) in the first 2 hrs after drug administration. This anorexic effect persisted for the next 4 hrs and even on the next day. The anorexic potency of d-AMP (1.25 and 2.5 mg/kg) was approximately twice that of THC in the initial 2-hrs interval after a single dose, but during the next 4 hrs and on the next day there was a compensatory increase in food consumption. Daily administration of THC (2.5 mg/kg) for 9 days greatly decreased food intake and body weight gain of animals which were injected immediately before feeding, but had little effect on animals injected 16 hrs before feeding.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abel, E. L.: Effects of marihuana on the solution of anagrams, memory and appetite. Nature (Lond.) 231, 260–261 (1971)
Abel, E. L., Schiff, B. B.: Effects of the marihuana homologue, pyrahexyl, on food and water intake and curiosity in the rat. Psychonom. Sci. 16, 38 (1969)
Agurell, S., Nilsson, I. M., Ohlsson, A., Sandberg, F.: Elimination of tritium-labelled cannabinols in the rat with special reference to the development of tests for the identification of Cannabis users. Biochem. Pharmacol. 18, 1195–1201 (1969)
Allentuck, S., Bowman, K. M.: The psychiatric aspects of marihuana intoxication. Amer. J. Psychiat. 99, 248–251 (1942)
Ames, F.: A clinical and metabolic study of acute intoxication with Cannabis sativa and its role in the model psychoses. J. ment. Sci. 104, 972–999 (1958)
Black, M. B., Woods, J. H., Domino, E. F.: Some effects of (−)-δ 9-trans-tetrahydrocannabinol and other Cannabis derivatives on schedule-controlled behavior. Pharmacologist 12, 258 (1970)
Borgen, L. A., Davis, W. M., Pace, H. B.: Effects of synthetic δ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol on pregnancy and offspring in the rat. Toxicol. appl. Pharmacol. 20, 480–486 (1971)
Boyd, E. S., Hutchinson, E. D., Gardner, L. C., Merritt, D. A.: Effects of tetrahydrocannabinols and other drugs on operant behavior in rats. Arch. int. Pharmacodyn. 144, 533–554 (1963)
Burstein, S. H.: Labeling and metabolism of the tetrahydrocannabinols. In: Marihuana chemistry, pharmacology, metabolism and clinical effects, R. Mechoulam, ed., pp. 167–190. New York: Academic Press 1973
Carlini, E. A.: Tolerance to chronic administration of Cannabis sativa (marihuana) in rats. Pharmacology 1, 135–142 (1968)
Cohen, M.: A feeding method for evaluating anticholinergic psychotomimetic drugs. Arch. int. Pharmacodyn. 161, 120–125 (1966)
Elsmore, T. F., Fletcher, G. V.: δ 9-Tetrahydrocannabinol: aversive effects in rat at high doses. Science 175, 911–912 (1972)
Glick, S. D., Milloy, S.: Increased and decreased eating following THC administration. Psychonom. Sci. 29, 6 (1972)
Hollister, L. E.: Hunger and appetite after single doses of marihuana, alcohol, and dextroamphetamine. Clin. Pharmacol. Ther. 12, 44–49 (1971)
JÄrbe, T. U. C., Henriksson, B. G.: Acute effects of two tetrahydrocannabinols (δ 9-THC and δ 8-THC) on water intake in water deprived rats: implications for behavioral studies on marihuana compounds. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 30, 315–322 (1973)
Kubena, R. K., Barry, H., III: Interactions of δ 1-tetrahydrocannabinol with barbiturates and methamphetamine. J. Pharmacol. exp. Ther. 173, 94–100 (1970)
LeDouarec, J. C., Schmitt, H., Laubie, M.: étude pharmacologique de la fenfluramine et de ses isomères optiques. Arch. int. Pharmacodyn. 161, 206–232 (1966)
Manning, F. J., McDonough, J. H., Jr., Elsmore, T. F., Saller, C., Sodetz, F. J.: Inhibition of normal growth by chronic administration of δ 9-tetrahydrocannabinal. Science 174, 424–426 (1971)
McMillan, D. E., Dewey, W. L., Harris, L. S.: Characteristics of tetrahydrocannabinol tolerance. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 191, 83–99 (1971)
Phillips, R. N., Brown, D. J., Martz, R., Hubbard, J. D., Forney, R. B.: Subacute toxicity of aqueous-suspended δ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol in rats. Toxicol. appl. Pharmacol. 22, 45–49 (1972)
Potvin, R. J., Fried, P. A.: Acute and chronic effects on rats of (−)-δ 1-trans-tetrahydrocannabinol on unlearned motor tasks. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 26, 369–378 (1972)
Sjödén, P.-O., JÄrbe, T. U. C., Henriksson, B. G.: Influence of tetrahydrocannabinols (δ 8-THC and δ 9-THC) on body weight, food, and water intake in rats. Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 1, 395–399 (1973)
Sofia, R. D., Kubena, R. K., Barry, H., III: Inactivity of δ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol in antidepressant screening tests. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 31, 121–130 (1973)
Spengler, J., Waser, P.: Der Einflu\ verschiedener Pharmaka auf den Futterkonsum von Albino-Ratten im akuten Versuch. Naunyn-Schmiedebergs Arch. exp. Path. Pharmak. 237, 171–185 (1959)
Torney, J., Lasagna, L.: Relation of thyroid function to acute and chronic effects of amphetamine in the rat. J. Pharmacol. exp. Ther. 128, 201–209 (1960)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sofia, R.D., Barry, H. Acute and chronic effects of δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol on food intake by rats. Psychopharmacologia 39, 213–222 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00421028
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00421028