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Will we soon see an anti-obesity drug?

The study and development of the new drug involves a form of “microbial medicine.” This tallies with research that suggests conditions like obesity are influenced by the bacterial composition of the human gut.

The developed molecule is called N-acyl-phosphatidylethanolamines (NAPE). This lipid molecule is also produced in the small intestine after a person has eaten a meal. These molecules are naturally converted into N-acyl-ethanolamines (NAEs). NAEs act as appetite-suppressants, by working on a specific region in the brain. Scientists have been able to alter the genes of a probiotic bacterium so it could produce high quantities of NAPEs.

In controlled experiments, mice that drank water laced with the bacterial molecule ate less, had lower body fat and staved off diabetes compared with mice that did not drink water containing the molecule. The mice administered the lipid gained 15 percent less weight when evaluated over an 8 week period. Furthermore, the livers of the mice were in better condition.

The research team plan to carry out further studies with the ultimate aim of carrying out trials in people. A key factor in favour of microbial medicine is that it would be easy to administer and simple to store. For the patient the therapy would involve no more than popping a pill.

The big drawback in running human studies is if the appetite-suppressing bacteria enter the general environment (such as being passed on from person-to-person.) For someone who is young or elderly, then having such bacteria in their body could make them very ill through not eating enough food.

The new research has yet to be published. However, the research findings are set to be presented to the forthcoming 249th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

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Written By

Dr. Tim Sandle is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for science news. Tim specializes in science, technology, environmental, business, and health journalism. He is additionally a practising microbiologist; and an author. He is also interested in history, politics and current affairs.

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