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A new mechanism to regulate obesity discovered
Posted on: 25/Oct/2016 6:15:09 PM
A recent study that was published in the journal Cell Reports has said that scientists have discovered a new mechanism that regulates obesity. The study shows that this new mechanism can potentially be targeted to treat obesity.
Speaking about this, the researchers said, It`s well known that the brain is involved in the development of obesity, but how a high-fat diet changes the brain so it triggers the accumulation of body fat is still unclear.
The team studied the mouse Rap1 gene, which is expressed in a variety of tissues, including the brain where it is involved in functions such as memory and learning. Little was known, however, of the role brain Rap1 plays in energy balance.
Say the scientists, We observed that the mice lacking Rap1 were not more physically active. However, they ate less and burned more body fat than mice with Rap1. These observations were associated with the hypothalamus producing more of a hormone that reduces appetite, called POMC, and less of hormones that stimulate appetite, called NPY and AgRP. When we administered ESI-05 to obese mice, we restored their sensitivity to leptin to a level similar to that in mice eating a normal diet. The mice ate less and lost weight. This new mechanism involving Rap1 in the brain may represent a potential therapeutic target for treating human obesity in the future.
