Effect of the cannabinoid receptor agonist, HU 210, on body weight and feeding behaviour of rats

The effect of the synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist, y.11-hydroxy-D8-tetrahydrocannabinol-dymethylheptylHU 210., on ratbody weight and eating and drinking behaviour was examined. In Experiment 1, the drug25, 50 or 100 mgrkg., sub-chronicallyadministered for 4 days, produced a dose- and time-dependent loss of body weight that, at the highest dose, was not regained by 7 daysafter the drug was stopped, and remained markedly below that of vehicle-treated animals. In Experiment 2, food and water intakes, whichwere evaluated in fasted rats, tested as in Experiment 1, were significantly inhibited only by the dose of 100 mgrkg, and this effect wasstill present 7 days after the last injection of the drug. The possibility that the effects observed are not directly dependent on the control ofappetite and might be ascribable to stress-related phenomena is discussed.