Zukerman S, Ackroff K, Sclafani A. Post-oral appetite stimulation by sugars and nonmetabolizable sugar analogs. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 305: R840 -R853, 2013. First published August 7, 2013 doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00297.2013.-Post-oral sugar actions enhance the intake of and preference for sugar-rich foods, a process referred to as appetition. Here, we investigated the role of intestinal sodium glucose cotransporters (SGLTs) in sugar appetition in C57BL/6J mice using sugars and nonmetabolizable sugar analogs that differ in their affinity for SGLT1 and SGLT3. In experiments 1 and 2, food-restricted mice were trained (1 h/day) to consume a flavored saccharin solution [conditioned stimulus (CSϪ)] paired with intragastric (IG) self-infusions of water and a different flavored solution (CSϩ) paired with infusions of 8 or 12% sugars (glucose, fructose, and galactose) or sugar analogs (␣-methyl-D-glucopyranoside, MDG; 3-O-methyl-D-glucopyranoside, OMG). Subsequent twobottle CSϩ vs. CSϪ choice tests were conducted without coinfusions. Infusions of the SGLT1 ligands glucose, galactose, MDG, and OMG stimulated CSϩ licking above CSϪ levels. However, only glucose, MDG, and galactose conditioned significant CSϩ preferences, with the SGLT3 ligands (glucose, MDG) producing the strongest preferences. Fructose, which is not a ligand for SGLTs, failed to stimulate CSϩ intake or preference. Experiment 3 revealed that IG infusion of MDGϩphloridzin (an SGLT1/3 antagonist) blocked MDG appetition, whereas phloridzin had minimal effects on glucose-induced appetition. However, adding phloretin (a GLUT2 antagonist) to the glucoseϩphloridzin infusion blocked glucose appetition. Taken together, these findings suggest that humoral signals generated by intestinal SGLT1 and SGLT3, and to a lesser degree, GLUT2, mediate post-oral sugar appetition in mice. The MDG results indicate that sugar metabolism is not essential for the post-oral intake-stimulating and preference-conditioning actions of sugars in mice.post-oral sugar conditioning; glucose; fructose; galactose FOOD INTAKE AND PREFERENCE are guided by oral sensations (taste, odor, and mouth feel) that contribute to the identification and hedonic evaluation of food flavor. Considerable progress has been made in identifying the taste receptors that respond to sugar, fat, and amino acids that provide attractive sweet, fatty, and umami flavors to foods (8). The appetite for such foods is further enhanced by the post-oral actions of ingested nutrients (50). This is demonstrated in laboratory rodents by the intake stimulation and learned preferences for arbitrary flavors (conditioned stimuli, CS) that are paired with gastric or intestinal infusions of sugar, fat, and proteins (or glutamate) (50). However, relatively little is known about the sites and identities of the sensors that mediate the post-oral appetite-stimulating actions of nutrients, a process we refer to as appetition (48). In the case of sugars, several findings implicate the upper small intestine as a primary site of a...