Researchers have identified a specific receptor for the neuropeptide Y (NPY) molecule that helps our body regulate its heat production. Blocking it could help prevent weight gain by increasing fat metabolism.
- Unlike anti-obesity treatments targeting the nervous system, this new experimental treatment targets Y1 receptors located in fatty tissue.
- Research in mice and then in the lab on fat cells from obese people shows that the treatment, called BIBO3304, directly blocks Y1 receptors without serious side effects.
- Obese mice on a high-fat diet that received this treatment gained 40% less body weight compared to mice in the control group.
Have researchers just identified a metabolic way to prevent obesity? In a study published in NatureCommunicationsresearchers from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney (Australia), explain that they have identified a specific receptor for the neuropeptide Y molecule called NPY which, once blocked, would constitute a “brake” on the production of heat in adipose tissue.
“The Y1 receptor acts as a ‘brake’ on heat production in the body, details Dr. Yan-Chuan Shi, co-lead author. In our study, we found that blocking this receptor in adipose tissue transformed energy-storing fat into energy-burning fat, which activated heat production and reduced weight gain.”
According to him, this discovery constitutes an alternative and safe approach and drugs currently on the market to reduce weight gain. Unlike the latter, it does not target a hormone in the brain, but directly fatty tissue, which limits serious side effects.
A Y1 receptor produced in adipose tissue and linked to obesity
The receptors that interested scientists in this work are the Y1 receptors, which are controlled by the NPY molecule. This neuropeptide Y molecule is released in our body under starvation conditions to reduce energy expenditure and increase fat. In obese people, Y1 receptors are produced at higher levels in fatty tissue.
To study the action of the Y1 receptor, the researchers conducted research on obese mice. They gave them an experimental treatment called BIBO3304 to block Y1, then put them on a high-fat diet. After seven weeks, they found that those taking the treatment had gained around 40% less body weight than those on the high-fat diet alone. “This significant reduction in body weight gain was caused by an increase in body heat production and a reduction in fat mass”says Dr. Shi.
“Furthermore, when we applied the BIBO3304 treatment to human fat cells isolated from obese people, we found that the cells began to activate the same genes involved in heat production as those in mice, suggesting that the Targeting the Y1 receptor pathway may also increase fat metabolism and reduce weight gain in humans.”adds Dr. Shi.
A safer alternative to weight gain treatments
For the researchers, this discovery is important because, unlike treatments currently prescribed to reduce food intake, BIBO3304 does not target the central nervous system, but directly Y1 receptors in peripheral tissues to increase energy expenditure. This means less risk of serious side effects, whether psychiatric or cardiovascular. According to Professor Herbert Herzog, co-lead author, the study “reveals a new therapeutic approach that is potentially safer than current appetite-targeting drugs”.
Other therapeutic avenues of treatment targeting the NPY-Y1 receptor system are now being studied, “including stimulation of bone cell growth and improvement of cardiovascular function and insulin resistance”says the researcher.
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