A team of researchers from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark discovered a new weight loss drug which reduces appetite, increases caloric expenditure and improves insulin sensitivity without causing nausea or loss of muscle mass. The discovery was published in the journal Nature this Wednesday (13).
The finding offers an alternative for the development of new treatments for obesity and type 2 diabetes that are better tolerated by patients.
Medications such as semaglutide (Wegovy and Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro) have gained popularity for leading to a large reduction in body weight and for their effects on blood glucose control. However, they are also known to have side effects such as nausea and vomiting.
“Although GLP-1-based therapies [como a semaglutida e a tirzepatida] have revolutionized the treatment of patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes, safely utilizing energy expenditure and controlling appetite without nausea continue to be two Holy Grails in this field. By addressing these needs, we believe our discovery will advance current approaches to make more tolerable and effective treatments accessible to millions more individuals,” says Zach Gerhart-Hines, associate professor at the NNF Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research (CBMR). , from the University of Copenhagen, in press release.
To arrive at the discovery, the researchers tested the effects of activating the neurokinin 2 receptor (NK2R) in mice. The team identified this receptor through genetic screening that suggested that it played a role in maintaining energy balance (balance between calories consumed in food and expended during the day) and in controlling glucose.
The researchers found that NK2R activation safely increased calorie burning but also decreased appetite without causing signs of nausea.
Further studies done in non-human primates with type 2 diabetes and obesity showed that NK2R activation also reduced body weight and reversed diabetes by increasing insulin sensitivity and lowering blood sugar, triglycerides and cholesterol.
“One of the biggest obstacles in drug development is translation between mice and humans. This is why we are excited that the benefits of NK2R agonism have been translated to diabetic and obese non-human primates, which represents a major step towards clinical translation,” says Frederike Sass, CBMR PhD student at the University of Copenhagen. , and first author of the study.
For scientists, the discovery could lead to the development of a next generation of drug therapies for type 2 diabetes and obesity, with more effective and tolerable solutions for the population. Currently, the University of Copenhagen holds the patent rights to the N2KR.
This content was originally published in New medicine can lead to weight loss without causing nausea and vomiting on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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