High-protein diets are effective in achieving
weight loss which is mainly explained by increased satiety and thermogenic effects. Recent studies suggest that the effects of
protein-rich diets on satiety could be mediated by
amino acids like
leucine or
arginine. Although
high-protein diets require increased intestinal
amino acid absorption,
amino acid and
peptide absorption has not yet been considered to contribute to satiety effects. We here demonstrate a novel finding that links intestinal
peptide transport processes to food intake, but only when a
protein-rich diet is provided. When mice lacking the
intestinal peptide transporter PEPT1 were fed diets containing 8 or 21 energy% of
protein, no differences in food intake and
weight gain were observed. However, upon feeding a high-
protein (45 energy%) diet, Pept1(-/-) mice reduced food intake much more pronounced than control animals. Although there was a regain in food consumption after a few days, no
weight gain was observed which was associated with a reduced intestinal energy assimilation and increased fecal energy losses. Pept1(-/-) mice on
high-protein diet displayed markedly reduced plasma
leptin levels during the period of very low food intake, suggesting a failure of
leptin signaling to increase energy intake. This together with an almost two-fold elevated plasma
arginine level in Pept1(-/-) but not wildtype mice, suggests that a cross-talk of
arginine with
leptin signaling in brain, as described previously, could cause these striking effects on food intake.