Cachexia refers to a synergistic combination of a dramatic decrease in appetite and an increase in metabolism of fat and lean body mass. This combination is found in a number of chronic diseases and is an important determinant of mortality. In this paper, we provide evidence that in both acute and chronic disease models, blockade of the MC4-R results in a dramatic attenuation of cachexia. We have also demonstrated that blockade of the melanocortin-3 receptor (MC3-R) leads to enhanced disease-associated cachexia. Ultimately, this work may lead to investigation of drug therapy for this widespread medical problem.
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Marks et al. (2003) studied this question.
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