Boosting serotonin levels was the secret of the diet drug Fen-Phen's
success, and this could be the basis of a safe substitute.
After Fen-Phen was taken off the market for causing heart
complications in 1997, Joel Elmquist of University of Texas
Southwestern's Medical Center's Center for Hypothalamic Research and a
team of international researchers decided to find out why it
controlled weight so well.
The active ingredients in Fen-Phen were fenfluramine and phentermine,
and the team found that they increase levels of the brain chemical
serotonin, which is best known as a regulator of emotions, mood, and
sleep.
The researchers also discovered that serotonin activates neurons in
the brain's hypothalamus that produce a hormone that stimulates
melanocortin-4 receptors (MC4Rs). MC4Rs curb appetite. For a double
whammy, serotonin also blocks NPY/AgRP neurons that produce a
substance that blocks MC4Rs and stimulates the appetite.
"This finding increases the understanding of the molecular circuitry
that controls body weight in response to changing levels of
serotonin," Elmquist told the press. "An overarching goal of this
understanding, for humans, is to design specific, safe drugs to fight
obesity."
The study can be found in the July 20 issue of Neuron.
Labels: No Prescription, Online Pharmacy, Prescription Drugs
# posted by Network @ 8:04 PM
