University College Cork scientists have discovered a drug that increases appetite. This development may also point the way to a drug that can trigger weight loss, researchers believe so.
"Pyridones" Similar to Hunger Hormone "Ghrelin" To Curb Appetite
According to Dr Gerard McGlacken, who is based in UCC's department of chemistry, the study focused on ghrelin, the hunger hormone, which controls appetite. When ghrelin levels rise, it connect to cells in the stomach in order to stimulate appetite.
Dr McGlacken studied a group of molecules called pyridones that occur throughout the body and found one similar to ghrelin and wondered whether it could work to stimulate appetite. "One of these had activity and we tweaked it to give it more activity. There is no drug on the market which can achieve this and very few in the pipeline," he said.
The researchers feel that their work may lead towards discovery of a revolutionary drug that can induce weight loss, something which would be hugely important given the rising rates of obesity.
This breakthrough may be able to help people with cachexia. Cachexia is derived from the Greek kakos and hexis, meaning 'bad condition'. It is thought that Hippocrates recognized the syndrome - but it took until 2006 for the cachexia field to start working up a formal definition, which includes a loss of 5 percent or more of body weight over a period of 12 months, and reduced muscle strength. It means weakness and muscle wasting due to a severe chronic illness.
Dr McGlacken studied pyridones, a group of molecules that naturally occur throughout the body. He discovered one similar to ghrelin and wondered whether it could work like ghrelin to stimulate appetite. He linked up with UCC colleague Dr Harriet Schellekens, of the neuroscience and anatomy department, to test the compound's biological activity in mice, and found that the mice "increase their food intake in a statistically relevant manner" when given the compound.
This research was published in the Scientific Reports journal.
