Lose a third of fat
Scientists: protein-the "accomplice" of cancer turned out to be a powerful tool for weight loss
One of the proteins believed to promote the growth of cancer cells turned out to be a very effective means to lose excess weight, scientists say in an article published in the journal Scientific Reports (Tassi et al., Fibroblast Growth Factor Binding Protein 3 (FGFBP3) impacts carbohydrate and lipid metabolism).
"Just six doses of BP3 protein, which we injected into the body of mice of a line genetically prone to obesity for 18 days, was enough to reduce the mass of fat in their body by more than a third. This substance, which was previously interested in the context of the fight against cancer, turned out to be a powerful regulator of metabolism," said Anton Wellstein from Georgetown University, USA (in a press release Georgetown University Obese mice lose a third of their fat using a natural protein – VM).
According to current WHO data, a global epidemic of obesity has been observed in the world since the 80s of the last century. Last year, every third inhabitant of the globe, a total of 1.9 billion people, suffered from excess kilograms, with about 15% accounted for by severe forms of obesity. About 47% of diseases, such as atherosclerosis, strokes, heart attacks, diabetes and cancer, are associated with such metabolic disorders.
For this reason, scientists have been actively studying for the last 10-15 years how obesity develops and which chains of nerve cells or hormone molecules can be used to make the body burn excess energy or deprive a person of a craving for overeating. Some of these chains and molecules were found in the brain, while others were found in peripheral organs such as the liver.
Wellsteen and his colleagues accidentally discovered another link in these chains, trying to understand what role the BP3 gene and protein play in the development of cancer. They control how well some proteins from the FGF family work, conducting the growth and reproduction of connective tissue stem cells.
Violations in the work of BP3, as scientists have suggested, can cause these cells to divide uncontrollably, which will lead to the development of cancer. Guided by this idea, the authors of the article began to inject large doses of this protein into the body of mice, observing changes in the frequency of tumor development and in the general state of their health.
To the great surprise of scientists, injections of this protein led to completely different consequences – mice who took it began to lose weight quickly and get rid of all fat reserves. Having discovered this unusual effect, biologists tested what would happen if it was injected into the body of mice that ate a very fatty diet and suffered from extreme forms of obesity.
As these experiments have shown, the mice quickly got rid of excess weight and problems associated with obesity, without reducing the amount of food consumed. This happened, according to biologists, due to the fact that their body began not to store, but to burn almost all the calories coming into it in the muscles and in the liver.
This effect, in turn, was associated with an increase in the activity of three genes of fibroblast growth factors, fibroblast growth factor – FGF19, FGF21 and FGF23. The first, as scientists have discovered, is responsible for the metabolism of carbohydrates, the second for fat burning, and the third for phosphorus metabolism.
According to Wellsteen, the presence of BP3 in human cells and the relative safety of this protein for our cells suggests that clinical trials of anti-obesity drugs based on this protein on volunteers may begin in the very near future.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru