Inhibition of salt appetite in the rat following injection of tachykinins into the medial amygdala.

The present study investigated the sensitivity of the medial region of the amygdala to the antinatriorexic action in the rat of the tachykinins eledoisin, substance P, neurokinin A and [Asp5,6, MePhe8] substance P(5-11) (also referred to as amino-senktide; NH2-SENK), which is a highly selective agonist for NK-3 receptors. The results obtained show that only the potent NK-3 agonists eledoisin and NH2-SENK inhibit salt appetite when injected into the medial region of the amygdala. Eledoisin and NH2-SENK inhibited salt appetite induced by sodium depletion, that has been proven to be governed by the synergism of angiotensin and aldosterone. They inhibited also salt appetite evoked by central renin injection, that is due to production of angiotensin II. On the other hand, eledoisin and NH2-SENK did not inhibit salt appetite evoked by subcutaneous deoxycorticosterone treatment. These findings suggest that the medial region of the amygdala is a site of action for the antinatriorexic effect of tachykinins and that their action at this site is mediated by NK-3 receptors. Moreover, our results show that in the medial amygdala, the antinatriorexic action of tachykinins appears to be directed toward the angiotensinergic component of the neural mechanism for salt appetite.