Adropin – the fat sensor in the food
Dec 23, 2008 No Comments »
Cell Press Publication’s recent issue of Cell Metabolism had a report on how a protein secreted in the liver after fatty food consumption can signal the brain that the body is subjected to gain fat.
Test conducted by researchers on mice revealed that the liver produces a type of protein, known as adropin, which increases immediately after fatty food consumption and reduces when fasting is observed. It is believed that this protein has a vital role in controlling the functions of other metabolic genes, especially the ones that are responsible for the production of lipids from carbohydrates. Further studies of the protein on obese animals also revealed that this protein plays a role in insulin response as well. Additionally, this protein helps in a condition called nonalcoholic liver disease by preventing excess fat storage in and around the liver.
Andrew Butler of Pennington Biomedical Research Center, part of the Louisiana State University System said “What is remarkable is that it appears that this factor is specifically regulated by the fat content of the diet" thus making this factor enjoy a marked significance. Interestingly this report is a follow on of a similar report, published in the earlier issue of the Journal Cell, about a phospholipid produced by the gut that rises after a fatty meal and indicates to the brain to consume less.
The new results inspire researchers to design treatments that would either deliver adropin or boost its levels, which will be revolutionary way of tacking the obesity menace and other related metabolic disorders – be it fatty liver disease or type 2 diabetes.
Butlers team, upon research, discovered that animals which became obese owing to fatty food consumption for a period of 3 months or animals that had genetic mutation could not produce adropin normally. But these animals, when made to synthetically produce more adropin showed less fat collection in the liver and thus become more receptive to insulin. These animals also showed a weight reduction and a tendency to eat less.
Butler further added that “The good news is that when you provide a synthetic version of the peptide, it reverses some of the consequences of obesity.”
Researchers finally concluded that adropin is a newly discovered secreted peptide that is involved in energy homeostasis and lipid metabolism … Adropin may form the basis for the development of new therapeutic targets for treating metabolic disorders associated with obesity."
Posted by admin | Tags: obesity
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