Obesity And Diabetes: Molecule That Mimics Exercise Helps Treat Both

New findings published in the journal Chemistry and Biology reveal that a new molecule may be used to help treat type 2 diabetes and obesity.

"Compouond 14" acts as an exercise mimic by interfering with the function of ATIC, a cellular enzyme that's involved in metabolism leading to the build-up of a molecule known as ZMP in cells. This causes cells to think that they have run out of energy by activating the cells' central energy sensor, known as AMPK, thereby causing them to try and increase their energy levels by increasing glucose uptake and metabolism.

Findings revealed that activating AMPK with compound 14 helped to reduce fasting blood glucose levels, meanwhile improving glucose tolerance at the same time and promoting weight loss in obese mice.

During the study, the molecule was given to two groups of mice who were fed either a normal diet or a high-fat diet making them obese and impairing their glucose tolerance (one of the clinical signs of pre-diabetes.) When mice with a normal diet were treated with compound 14, their blood glucose levels and weight remained normal.

However, obese mice on the high-fat regimen of a single dose of the compound 14 resulted in lowering their elevated blood glucose to nearly nearly normal levels. Furthermore, a daily dose of compound 14 administered for seven days to the obese mice resulted in improved glucose tolerance and a five percent loss in body weight. Compound 14 did not affect the weight of those mice on the normal diet.

"Current treatments for type 2 diabetes centers on elevating circulating insulin levels or improving the insulin sensitivity of an individual. The issue is that established drugs do not successfully enable patients with type 2 diabetes to achieve glycemic control and some can even result in weight gain, a leading factor driving the diabetes epidemic. In contrast, this new molecule seems to reduce glucose levels and at the same time decrease body weight, but only if the subject is obese," Dr. Felino Cagampang, co-author of the study, said in a statement.

Researchers will develop the molecule further to examine the effect of long-term treatment and its mode of action in improving glucose tolerance and in reducing body weight.

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