Brain Institute.” We discovered that these drugs, and one in specific, can lower body weight and improve glucose metabolic process in less than a month, which is pretty remarkable.”– Chen Liu, Ph.D. Obesity, which affects more than 41% of all grownups in the U.S., is a huge health issue and increases the danger of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, and certain types of cancer. Currently, most treatments for obesity focus on eating routines and exercise.
For a long time scientists have known that serotonin, a chemical messenger discovered throughout the brain and body, plays a crucial role in cravings. Nevertheless, there are 15 different serotonin receptors– particles that sense serotonin and signal for cells to change their habits in reaction. Researchers have actually struggled to comprehend the function of each serotonin receptor in hunger, and previous drugs– consisting of fen-phen and lorcaserin (Belviq)– that targeted particular private receptors have actually been withdrawn from the market due to side effects.
Triptans, which are used to deal with acute migraines and cluster headaches, work by targeting a various receptor– the serotonin 1B receptor (Htr1b)– that had actually not formerly been well studied in the context of hunger and weight loss, stated Dr. Liu.
For the brand-new research study, the researchers evaluated six prescription triptans in overweight mice that were fed a high-fat diet for seven weeks. Mice fed 2 of these drugs ate about the same quantity, but mice fed the other four ate less. After 24 days, mice provided a day-to-day dose of the drug frovatriptan lost, on average, 3.6% of their body weight, while mice not provided a triptan gained an average of 5.1% of their body weight. Dr. Liu and his colleagues saw comparable results when they implanted devices into the animals that provided them a steady dose of frovatriptan for 24 days.
” We found that these drugs, and one in specific, can decrease body weight and improve glucose metabolism in less than a month, which is pretty excellent,” stated Dr. Liu.
Since triptans are normally recommended for short-term usage during migraines, Dr. Liu believes that patients would not have seen the longer-term effect on appetite and weight in the past.
To figure out exactly how frovatriptan effects food consumption and weight, the researchers crafted mice to lack either Htr1b or Htr2c, the serotonin receptor targeted by fen-phen and lorcaserin. In mice without Htr1b, frovatriptan no longer might reduce appetite or cause weight-loss, while eliminating Htr2c had no effect. This confirmed that the drug worked by targeting the serotonin 1B receptor.
” This finding might be essential for drug development,” said Dr. Liu. “We not only clarified the possible to repurpose existing triptans however likewise accentuated Htr1b as a prospect to deal with obesity and control food intake.”
The group went on to reveal precisely which nerve cells in the brain were crucial for the function of Htr1b in mediating cravings, homing in on a small group of cells within the brains hypothalamus.
Reference: “Delineating a serotonin 1B receptor circuit for hunger suppression in mice” by Li Li, Steven C. Wyler, Luis A. León-Mercado, Baijie Xu, Youjin Oh, Swati, Xiameng Chen, Rong Wan, Amanda G. Arnold, Lin Jia, Guanlin Wang, Katherine Nautiyal, René Hen, Jong-Woo Sohn and Chen Liu, 7 July 2022, Journal of Experimental Medicine.DOI: 10.1084/ jem.20212307.
Other scientists who added to this study include Li Li, Steven C. Wyler, Luis A. León-Mercado, Baijie Xu, Swati, Xiameng Chen, Rong Wan, and Amanda G. Arnold of UT Southwestern; Youjin Oh and Jong-Woo Sohn of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology; Lin Jia of UT Dallas; Guanlin Wang of the University of Oxford; Katherine Nautiyal of Dartmouth College; and René Hen of Columbia University.
The study was moneyed by the National Institutes of Health (R01 DK114036, DK130892, F32DK116427, K01AA024809), the American Health Association (16SDG27260001), a UTSW Pilot and Feasibility Award, and a Grossman Endowment Award for Excellence in Diabetes Research.
New research study recommends that a typically recommended class of migraine drugs may likewise be useful in treating obesity.
Mice taking triptan migraine drugs ate less and lost more weight than other animals.
A typically prescribed class of migraine drugs, triptans, might likewise work in treating obesity, according to a brand-new research study by scientists at UT Southwestern. In experiments on obese mice, a daily dosage of a triptan led animals to eat less food and drop weight over the course of a month, the group reported on July 7 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.
” Weve revealed that there is real potential to repurpose these drugs, which are currently understood to be safe, for cravings suppression and weight loss,” said research study leader Chen Liu, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Neuroscience and a detective in the Peter ODonnell Jr.
Scientists have actually struggled to comprehend the function of each serotonin receptor in cravings, and previous drugs– consisting of fen-phen and lorcaserin (Belviq)– that targeted particular individual receptors have actually been withdrawn from the market due to side effects.
Mice fed 2 of these drugs consumed about the very same quantity, but mice fed the other 4 ate less. After 24 days, mice provided a day-to-day dose of the drug frovatriptan lost, on average, 3.6% of their body weight, while mice not provided a triptan acquired an average of 5.1% of their body weight. To figure out exactly how frovatriptan impacts food intake and weight, the scientists crafted mice to lack either Htr1b or Htr2c, the serotonin receptor targeted by fen-phen and lorcaserin. This verified that the drug worked by targeting the serotonin 1B receptor.
