VERTICAL SLEEVE GASTRECTOMY ATTENUATES HEDONIC FEEDING WITHOUT IMPACTING ALCOHOL DRINKING IN RATS

OBJECTIVE: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery and Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG) are most commonly performed bariatric procedures. While studies report new onset alcohol misuse following RYGB, the impact of VSG on alcohol intake is less clear. We evaluated hedonic feeding, alcohol drinking and hypothalamic obesity-related gene expression following VSG. METHODS: Male Long Evans rats underwent VSG or sham surgery. To evaluate hedonic feeding, rats received a high-fat diet following behavioral satiation on chow. Alcohol (5-10% v/v) drinking was assessed in a two-bottle choice paradigm. Finally, PCR array evaluated gene expression. RESULTS: VSG induced a moderate but significant weight loss. Sham rats significantly escalated high-fat diet intake following behavioral satiation, an effect significantly reduced in VSG rats. A moderate decrease in alcohol intake was observed in VSG rats at low (5%) alcohol concentration. However, overall no significant between group differences were evident. Key hypothalamic orexigenic transcripts linked to stimulation of food and alcohol intake were significantly decreased in VSG rats. CONCLUSIONS: VSG attenuated hedonic feeding without impacting alcohol drinking, an effect potentially mediated by alterations in genetic information flow within the hypothalamus. Importantly, these data highlight VSG as an effective bariatric procedure with potentially reduced risk of developing alcohol use disorder.