Administration of Alphitobius diaperinus or Tenebrio molitor before meals transiently increases food intake through enterohormone regulation in female rats

Background. It has been previously shown that acutely administered insect A. diaperinus protein increases food intake in rats and modifies the ex vivo enterohormone secretory profile differently than beef or almond proteins. In this study, we aimed to evaluate whether these effects could be maintained for a longer period and determine the underlying mechanisms. Results. We administered two different insect species to rats for 26 days and measured food intake at different time points. Both insect species increased food intake in the first week, but the effect was later lost. GLP-1 and ghrelin were measured in plasma and ex vivo, and no chronic effects on their secretion or desensitization were found. Nevertheless, digested A. diaperinus acutely modified GLP-1 and ghrelin secretion ex vivo. Conclusion. Our results suggest that increases in food intake could be explained by a local ghrelin reduction acting in the small intestine.