Plant secondary metabolites as mammalian feeding deterrents: Separating the effects of the taste of salicin from its post-ingestive consequences in the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula)

G. J. Pass, W. J. Foley*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    51 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The effect of the phenolic glycoside, salicin, on food intake of the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) was studied in a series of feeding experiments. Increasing the concentration of salicin in a diet of fruits and cereals led to significant reductions of food intake in the short term (6 days). After prolonged (20 days) exposure to salicin, food intake (19 g kg-0.75 day-1) was still reduced relative to controls (31 g kg-0.75 day-1) but not reduced to the same extent as in the short-term experiments. Nonetheless, over these 20 days, common brushtail possums regulated their intake of salicin so as not to exceed a threshold limit of 1.9 ± 0.1 g kg-0.75 day-1. Manipulative experiments sought to determine whether this threshold intake was in response to pre-ingestive factors (taste) or the post-ingestive consequences of ingesting salicin. Dietary salicin (0.17-5.0% DM) had no significant effect on nitrogen balance or urea metabolism and injection of a specific serotonin receptor antagonist, ondansetron, did not lead to increases in salicin intake as has been found for some other plant secondary metabolites. Similarly, administration of 1.3 g salicin by gavage had no significant effect on the subsequent intake of salicin compared to controls that were gavaged with water. We concluded that pre-ingestive factors were responsible for common brushtail possums limiting their intake of salicin-rich diets rather than any measurable post-ingestive consequence of feeding.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)185-192
    Number of pages8
    JournalJournal of Comparative Physiology B: Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology
    Volume170
    Issue number3
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - May 2000

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