Intestinal capsaicin transiently attenuates suppression of sham feeding by oleate

Studies of the influence of capsaicin on intraintestinal oleate-induced reduction in sham feeding reveal that intestinal infusion of capsaicin reversibly attenuates the suppression of sham feeding by oleic acid. Intraintestinal oleate acts through capsaicin-sensitive vagal sensory neurons which act as a neural substrate for mediating the oleate suppression of sham-feeding. Capsaicin temporarily incapacitates the capsaicin-sensitive substrate but does not impair cholecystokinin-induced reduction of feeding or damage to the viscerosensory neurons.