Bariatric surgery, including gastric bypass and other methods of manipulating the digestive tract, has proven to be a successful method of treating obesity and in some cases reversing diabetes. It is a lengthy and expensive procedure that carries certain risks. Now researchers have discovered a way to use rodents to harness similar benefits to surgery in the form of injections. found to help
When bariatric surgery such as gastric bypass surgery or sleeve gastrectomy is performed, not only does the overall stomach area become smaller, the amount of food that can actually be eaten is reduced, but the body’s biochemistry is also affected. Most importantly, it alters the way the gut secretes two hormones known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and peptide YY (PYY). These hormones help reduce a person’s appetite, keep blood sugar levels normal, and signal satiety.
Although drugs exist that can mimic GLP-1, they often have unpleasant side effects, such as nausea and other forms of stomach pain, that can lead to discontinuation. It also ignores the potential benefits of acting and activating PYY receptors.
Research led by scientists from Syracuse University (SU) and the Seattle Children’s Research Institute addresses the issues surrounding bariatric surgery and current medications, and aims to provide a way to combat obesity by combining both the PYY and GLP-1 receptors. created an injectable peptide that activates In laboratory tests, this substance, called GEP44, reduced food intake by 80% and body weight by 12% in obese rats in one of his studies over 16 days. These stats outperform a drug called liraglutide, which only activates her GLP-1 receptor, by a factor of three.
rats can’t vomit
Additionally, since rats are unable to vomit, indicating whether GEP44 causes nausea, researchers tested the compound in shrews (which can, in fact, upchuck), but no indication of nausea. I didn’t see it. The anti-nausea effect may have implications beyond weight loss, said one of the principal investigators.
“For a long time, I didn’t think weight loss could be separated from nausea and vomiting, because nausea and vomiting are linked to the exact same part of the brain,” said Robert Doyle of SU. What if you could maintain the benefits of a drug, but tell the part of the brain that causes vomiting and nausea to counteract it? It also improves the quality of life while receiving chemotherapy.”
MORE BENEFITS
Not only did GEP44 help reduce food intake in rodents, it also helped boost metabolism by moving glucose out of the blood into muscle tissue for use as an energy source. , converted some pancreatic cells into brand new insulin-producing cells that are often damaged by diabetes.
Furthermore, they also reported that this compound successfully reduced fentanyl craving in rats, suggesting that GEP44 may be used to treat addiction.
Initially, GEP44 only had a half-life of about one hour in the body, but thanks to improved formulations, researchers hope future treatments can be delivered with one or two injections per week. I’m here. The team has applied for a patent on the drug and plans to conduct more advanced tests in primates.
The findings were presented today at ACS Spring 2023, the meeting of the American Chemical Society.
Source: American Chemical Society by EurekAlert
