Fat cells store energy, but brown adipose tissue serves as a biological heater. In humans, it keeps newborns warm and is positively correlated to cardio-metabolic health. Science Daily cites a new study that identified a molecule that boosts fat burning, a mechanism discovered in mice that might also be present in humans.
Prof. Dr. Alexander Pfeifer from the University of Bonn's Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology explains that nowadays, the body's own furnaces are hardly needed. Also, people's diet and lifestyles have changed, resulting in more overweight people worldwide. The new study shows that the molecule could help burn fat to counter obesity.
Dying Cells Secrete Molecule that Burn Fat
The research team from the University of Bonn, led by Pfeiffer, has identified a molecule called inosine capable of boosting fat burning in brown adipose tissue.
Dr. Brie Niemann from Pfeifer's laboratory explained in a news release via EurekAlert! that dying cells are known to release a mix of messenger molecules that influence the functions of other cells. Through their work, they hope to find out if this mechanism is also present in brown fat.
They studied brown fat cells subjected to high-level stress to mimic a dead cell. Niemann said that their experiment shows that the cells secreted the purine inosine in large quantities. However, it was interesting to see how intact brown fat cells responded to the molecular call.
The inosine molecule activated the almost dead fat cells and other dying cells in the neighborhood. The team concluded that inosine fanned the furnace inside the cells.
Moreover, they noticed that white fat cells also became brown fat cells. Mice treated with inosine also remained leaner and were protected from developing diabetes compared to those animals who did not receive the treatment.
The inosine transporter also played a significant role in this interaction. It transports inosine into the cell decreasing extracellular concentration, so the inosine molecule does not have to exert its combustion effect.
Drug for Coagulation Disorders Inhibit Inosine Transporter
Pfeifer said that there is a drug for coagulation disorders that also inhibits inosine transporter. When they gave it to the mice, they found that it increased energy consumption in brown fat cells.
According to Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News, researchers found that the pharmacological inhibition of ENT1 enhanced the brown adipose tissue activity and counteracter obesity. They noted that the knockdown or blacked of ENT1 boosted fat burning that enhanced thermogenic capacity.
But in people, the inosine transporter is less active due to genetic variation. Their colleagues from the University of Leipzig in Germany studied 900 individuals and found that those with less active inosine transporter are leaner on average. This suggests that inosine regulates thermogenesis in human brown fat cells and substances that interfere with their activity are potentially suitable to treat obesity.
But still, further studies are needed to confirm the pharmacological potential of this mechanism. Pfeifer says it is impossible that a pill alone will solve the obesity pandemic in the world and therefore needs more evidence.
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