Effect of Folic Acid on serum Leptin, Grehlin concentration, and feed intake in male Wistar rats

Introduction: There is no comprehensive study on the effect of Folate on food intake therefore the present study was carried out to determine the effect of Folate supplementation on serum concentrations of Leptin and Grehlin and food intake in male Wistar rats. Methods: The study was carried out for 42 days during which the animals were weighed weekly their food and water intakes were measured every 48 hours. Serum leptin, ghrelin and insulin were measured using ELISA. Repeated Measures and t-test were done to analyze the data. Results: The amount of water intake in the case group was significantly (p<0.05) higher that the control group, food intake was also higher in the group receiving folate as compared to the control although it did not reach the significance level. The Body weight of the rats receiving the supplement were significantly (p<0.001) higher than the control group. The experimental group had higher serum leptin and lower serum ghrelin levels although not significantly. Serum insulin level was significantly higher in the experimental group (p<0.001). A significant correlation was found between Water and food intake (r=0.9, p<0.001), and between body weight and the food intake (r=0.6, p<0.001). There was a significant correlation between serum insulin level with food intake (r=0.6, p< 0.001) and body weight (r=0.36, p=0.05). Conclusion: Daily folate supplementation for a long period increased body growth and food intake in weaning rats. Since serum ghrelin level was also higher, it is possible that increased weight was related to the other body tissues, rather than adipose tissue.