A new compound has been identified that may form the basis of a drug to tackle obesity.
Researchers led by Dr George Chandy and his colleagues at the University of California Irvine, USA, investigated compounds that may boost the metabolism.
They discovered a synthetic compound called ShK-186, originally derived from a sea anemone, could enhance metabolic activity and may benefit people with insulin resistance.
ShK-186 works by blocking an inflammation protein that works via the Kv1.3 potassium channel. Potassium channels regulate a variety of cellular processes, explain the researchers. Previous studies on mice that lack a potassium channel gene suggested that the gene helped regulate the basal metabolic rate, and therefore body weight.
The compound ShK-186 was given to obese mice put on a high-fat, high-sugar diet. It reduced their weight gain, white fat deposits, fatty liver, blood cholesterol and blood sugar. It did so by activating calorie-burning brown fat, suppressing inflammation of white fat and increasing healthy liver function.
These tests also showed that Kv1.3 activity is raised in the first place by the mice’s obesity-causing diet. Full details appear in yesterday’s (28 May) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The drug has been licensed by Kineta, a Seattle-based drug company which is now developing ShK-186 to treat metabolic syndrome and obesity, as well as autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, psoriatic arthritis and lupus. It showed positive results in a Phase 1 safety clinical trial in March 2013.
Dr Chandy says: "These data are quite exciting and strongly support the notion that inhibition of the Kv1.3 channel provides a highly effective method for managing obesity and its associated metabolic abnormalities."
Chandy, G. et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 28 May 2013, Volume 110 number 21.
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