Scientists have discovered that a novel drug can change one type of bodily fat into another and might help trigger weight loss.
The drug, currently known as GC-1, appears to speed up metabolism, say Dr Kevin Phillips of Houston Methodist Research Institute, Texas, USA.
It acts on thyroid hormone receptors, which help regulate metabolism and control "adaptive thermogenesis" – the body’s conversion of excess energy to heat.
In lab tests, GC-1 triggered adaptive thermogenesis in fat cells from mice. This showed evidence of white fat tissue turning brown, say the team. They reported their findings on March 6 at the Endocrine Society’s 97th annual meeting in San Diego, USA.
Early researchers believed that only animals and human infants have brown fat, which is efficient at energy burning. But Dr Phillips says, "It is now clear that human adults do have brown fat, but appear to lose its calorie-burning activity over time."
He adds: "GC-1 dramatically increases the metabolic rate, essentially converting white fat, which stores excess calories and is associated with obesity and metabolic disease, into a fat like calorie-burning brown fat."
Previous work has shown that people with more brown fat are at a reduced risk of obesity and diabetes.
The researchers have now tested the drug on hundreds of mice, including obese mice, both genetically obese and those with diet-induced obesity. In two weeks of daily GC-1 treatment, the genetically obese mice lost weight and more than 50% of their fat mass. The mice also showed improved insulin sensitivity. Similar results were seen in the diet-induced obese mice.
Dr Phillips believes: "GC-1 is a novel fat-browning agent that may have use in the treatment of obesity and metabolic disease."
Findings presented at the Endocrinology Conference: The Endocrine Society’s 97th Annual Meeting & Expo (ENDO 2015) held 5-8 March 2015 in San Diego, California, USA.
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