Eat and not get fat
Researchers from Texas Medical University are developing a new drug that reduces adipose tissue by enhancing metabolism in lipocytes. According to a study conducted on mice, the drug reduces body weight and normalizes cholesterol levels in the blood, without affecting appetite.
Obesity is becoming one of the leading health problems around the world, being a significant source of costs. It worsens the quality of people's lives. In the USA, 40% of the adult population is diagnosed with obesity, 30% are overweight. All of them suffer from chronic diseases associated with excess weight.
When the number of fat cells (adipocytes) increases, they begin to actively synthesize the protein nicotinamide-N-methyltransferase, which slows down their metabolism. This complicates the process of burning fats and leads to their accumulation. In addition, as adipose tissue increases, the production of hormones and pro-inflammatory compounds increases, which support chronic processes in the body, including type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases.
Researchers have found a substance that blocks the action of a protein that inhibits metabolism in fat cells in a human tissue sample. This leads to increased metabolic processes in them.
A study was conducted on mice that were fed high-calorie food until they developed obesity. After that, they were divided into two groups: the experimental received the studied drug, the control received a placebo. After 10 days of treatment, the researchers found that the body weight of the mice in the experimental group decreased by more than 7% of the initial weight. At the same time, the amount of adipose tissue decreased by 30% compared to the control group. In addition, the cholesterol level in the blood of mice treated with the experimental drug decreased to normal values.
The placebo-treated mice in the control group continued to build up adipose tissue and gain weight throughout the study. Mice in both groups received the same food, which was done to demonstrate the absence of an overwhelming effect of the new drug on appetite.
The blocking effect on the "metabolism brake" in the fat cell opens up new prospects for combating obesity and, as a result, a number of diseases associated with it. The first results of the study are certainly encouraging, but a large amount of work needs to be done to obtain sufficient information about the effectiveness and safety of the drug.
Article by Harshini Neelakantan et al. Selective and membrane-permeable small molecule inhibitors of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase reverse high fat diet-induced obesity in mic e is published in the journal Biochemical Pharmacology.
Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of The UTNB Newsroom: UTMB develops promising anti-obesity drug that shrinks fat without suppressing appetite.