Feeding studies are a simple method to measure the effects of melanocortin agonists and antagonists in vivo. Mice receive intracerebroventricular injections of a given compound and their hourly food intake is measured. A melanocortin 4 receptor agonist will decrease food intake while an antagonist with increase food intake. This mouse model is necessary to test drugs that are synthesized in the lab.
The Haskell-Luevano lab has TSE metabolic chambers that can be used to examine individual mouse metabolic phenotypes such as respiratory exchange ratio, food intake, water intake, ambulatory activity, running wheel activity and energy expenditure.
The Haskell-Luevano lab uses mouse running wheels to help examine how exercise influences metabolic phenotypes and gene expression in the Melanocortin pathway.