Weight-loss drugs such as fen-phen and Meridia deliver a two-pronged
punch to curb appetite, researchers have found.
This class of drugs enhances the effect of the brain chemical
serotonin, but until now, scientists didn't know how.
Dr. Joel Elmquist, professor of internal medicine at the University of
Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and his colleagues discovered
serotonin activates some neurons to curb appetite while at the same
blocking other neurons that normally act to boost appetite.
The study appears in Thursday's issue of the journal Neuron.
"The finding increases the understanding of the molecular circuitry
that controls body weight in response to changing levels of
serotonin," said Elmquist. "An overarching goal of this understanding,
for humans, is to design specific, safe drugs to fight obesity."
It's been nearly a decade since fen-phen, a combination of
fenfluramine and phentermine, was pulled from the market after some
people developed heart complications.
Meridia is approved as a weight-loss treatment in Canada. The U.S.
consumer group Public Citizen has lobbied for it to be removed from
the market, saying it is linked to 29 deaths, and increases the risk
of cardiovascular problems. The drug's manufacturer says it is safe to
use if taken as directed.
The researchers discovered the dual approach by tracing the effect of
this class of drugs on the feeding behaviour of normal and genetically
engineered lean and obese mice.
Serotonin has to regulate both types of neurons to promote weight
loss, the researchers said.
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# posted by Network @ 8:04 PM
