Thursday, July 26, HealthDay News)-experimental drug tested in mice could one day help people lose weight and keep it long term, according to the researchers.
The drug, called JD5037, increases the sensitivity to the hormone leptin, an appetite suppressant is natural body, according to the research on July 26 in the journal cell metabolism.
"By sensitizing the body naturally occurring leptin, the new drug was not only to promote weight loss, but also helps to keep him," senior research editor, George Kunos of the National Institute of alcohol abuse, alcoholism, USA said in the news journal. "This finding bodes for the development of a new class of compounds for treatment of obesity and its metabolic disorder."
Leptin supplements alone are not effective at helping people lose excess weight, according to the publication. It is because of this that, meaning that systematic to leptin more body to respond to leptin.
In this study, researchers found that JD5037 to suppress appetite of obese mice has led to a decrease in weight, partly by resensitizing mice to leptin.
Scientists, however, research with animals often fails to provide similar results in humans.
"Obesity is a growing problem of public health, there is a strong need for new types of medications for the treatment of severe metabolic complications of obesity, including diabetes, fatty liver disease," said Kunos.
--Robert Preidt 
copyright © HealthDay 2012. All rights reserved. Source: cell metabolism, press release, July 26, 2012
