Background Weight gain and weight loss are associated with changes in blood pressure
through unknown mechanisms. Central melanocortinergic signaling is implicated in the
control of energy balance and blood pressure in rodents, but there is no information
regarding such an association with blood pressure in humans. Methods We assessed blood
pressure, heart rate, and urinary catecholamines in overweight or obese subjects with a loss-
of-function mutation in MC4R, the gene encoding the melanocortin 4 receptor, and in …

… Central administration of alpha-MSH increases the mean arterial pressure and heart rate,
and animal data propagate that these effects are mediated via interference with autonomic
outflow [22,23,29]. Numerous studies suggest that hyperinsulinaemia is involved in obesity-induced …
The study by Greenfield and coworkers in patients with genetic deficiency of the
melanocortin 4 receptor demonstrate that increases as well as decreases in central
melanocortin signaling influence blood pressure in humans. Long-standing decreases in …