Potential obesity, diabetes drug is found

Boston -- A U.S. study suggests a small-molecule inhibitor might prove useful against such chronic metabolic ills as obesity, type 2 diabetes and arthrosclerosis.

Gokhan Hotamisligil and colleagues at the Harvard School of Public Health treated genetic mice models of various metabolic diseases with a drug that inhibits a protein called aP2. When given orally, the drug reduced the size of atherosclerotic lesions in blood vessels, decreased blood glucose levels and increased insulin sensitivity in a model of obesity and insulin resistance.

The protein is expressed in fat cells and scavenging white blood cells called macrophages, where it mediates metabolic and inflammatory reactions. It's already known mice genetically manipulated to lack the protein are protected against various aspects of metabolic disease, suggesting aP2 may prove a useful drug target for these conditions.

Hotamisligil's research backs that hypothesis, hinting aP2 inhibitors may aid the treatment of human cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

The study is available online in the journal Nature and will appear in print at a later date.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International.