Could the change of anorexigenic function of nesfatin-1 during the day be associated with circadian rhythm?

Abstract

Nutrition is a body function exhibited to provide the metabolic needs of the organism. The regulation of feeding behavior is provided by homeostatic mechanisms. Food consumption of individuals is time-dependently coordinated by the brain throughout the approximately 24-hour circadian cycle. The biological clocks in the body set the daily intervals in which food consumption can occur in the circadian rhythm. These time zones are usually in the active period phase. The biological clocks that provide circadian control of food intake are a light-entrained master clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus and numerous secondary oscillators in the brain and other tissues of the body. Nesfatin-1 is a hormone derived from the precursor protein of nucleobindin 2 and has strong effects on appetite. The anorexigenic effect of Nesfatin-1 is more pronounced, especially in the dark period of the day. This raises the question of whether the hormone in question has a circadian rhythm. In our review, the findings obtained from the studies on the subject are discussed cross-sectionally, and the possible relationship between the regulation of feeding behavior and the effects of nesfatin-1 with the circadian rhythm is evaluated.