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Fluoxetine: antidepressant and a possible new drug for the treatment of obesity
July 30, 2002The Department of Nutrition and Bromatology of the Faculty of Pharmacy of Gasteiz, University of the Basque Country, is studying the action mechanism of fluoxetine in genetically fattened rats (Zucker fa/fa). Due to fluoxetine, those rats eat 50 % less. Therefore, the bodies put on less weight and the size of different fat tissues is reduced.
Antidepressants of the type of fluoxetine reduce appetite. More exactly, fluoxetine affects on neuropeptides that regulate appetite. Hence, it is believed that fluoxetine can be used to treat obesity.
After studying the action-mechanism of fluoxetine it has been observed that it reduces the quantity of Y neuropeptide. That peptide is orexigen, it causes appetite. The fluoxetine does hinders the trasport of that peptide, and so appetite is reduced.
That result has lead the scientists of the faculty of pharmacy to study the effect of fluoxetine on melanocortins. Melanocortins are important neuropeptides that control how many food is consumed. Now they are studying the changes that may occur in the operative system of melanocortins, both in MC4-R melanocortin receptors and in a-MSH (alfa melanocyte stimulating hormones) .
Hunger and neuropeptides
Appetite is a feeling that is created in the hypothalamus and its regulation is a complex process that depends on the regulation of neuropeptides, neurotransmitters and several hormones. In that process two types of neuropeptides must be taken into account: orexigens or appetite stimulants and anorexigens or reducers of appetite.
Some of the well-known orexigens are Y neuropeptide, some opioid peptides, endogenous cannabinoid, etc. Among anorexigens CRF (corticotropin releasing factor), CART (cocaine and amphetamine related transcript), melanocortin, galanin and cytokines. All those neuropeptides have effect on the hypothalamus and their interaction causes hunger and satiety.
It is believed that those neuropeptides could be the responsible of disorders such as obesity, anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Nowadays there is no appropriate drug to treat those disorders and some of the cures that have been used are very dangerous and harmful for the health, for example amphetamines. According to the result of this research, who knows if fluoxetine, apart from being an antidepressant, may become a secure drug to treat obesity.
Elhuyar Fundazioa
Obesity Current Events and Obesity News RSSResearch in twins defines shared features of the human gut microbial communities: variations linked to obesity
Trillions of microbes make their home in the gut, where they help to break down and extract energy and nutrients from the food we eat. Yet, scientists have understood little about how this distinctive mix of microbes varies from one individual to the next.
Pediatric obesity may alter thyroid function and structure
In addition to its strong associations with hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, pediatric obesity may induce alterations in thyroid function and structure, according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).
Cardiovascular disease causing increasing inequity between rich and poor
A new paper released today by The George Institute for International Health is warning a cardiovascular disease based epidemic is gaining pace among many low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), exemplified at its worst in the world's largest populated countries - China and India.
Bariatric surgery may resolve liver disease
Obesity is a growing epidemic in the U.S. with a significant increase in prevalence from 15 percent to 32.9 percent from 1980 to 2004. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an emerging problem related to the obesity epidemic, becoming one of the most common causes of liver disease in the nation.
Persistent pollutant may promote obesity
Tributyltin, a ubiquitous pollutant that has a potent effect on gene activity, could be promoting obesity, according to an article in the December issue of BioScience.
Adiponectin is a metabolic link between obesity and bone mineral density
Researchers at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Canada, have discovered that adiponectin, a protein secreted from adipocytes, is a metabolic link that can explain, in part, the known positive relationship between obesity and both bone mineral density and reduced susceptibility to fractures.
Sealing off portion of intestinal lining treats obesity, resolves diabetes in animal model
Lining the upper portion of the small intestine with an impermeable sleeve led to both weight loss and restoration of normal glucose metabolism in an animal model of obesity-induced diabetes.
Why women should eat less, move more and consider wearing transdermal HRT patches during menopause
Weight and appetite experts from around the world met at a conference in Bangkok earlier this year to discuss sex differences in obesity. One line of discussion looked at factors leading to women's weight gain during menopause, and how it might be avoided.
Heart patients are often not treated in accordance with guidelines
Many patients with cardiovascular disease are not given adequate drug therapy. This is the result of an international study. In the current edition of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, Uwe Zeimer et al. present the German results of this prospective, one-year survey.
Scripps research team defines new painkilling chemical pathway
Marijuana kills pain by activating a set of proteins known as cannabinoid receptors, which can also regulate appetite, inflammation, and memory.
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