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A New Way to Fight Weight Gain
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Two cell proteins that relax the gut and help accommodate a big meal have
been identified by UCL (University College London) scientists. The proteins
could offer a future drug target against weight gain, by preventing the stomach
from
expanding.
In a paper published in the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental
Therapeutics, Dr Brian King and Dr Andrea Townsend-Nicholson explored the
molecular basis of relaxations of the gut.
In the study, the authors identified two protein receptors – P2Y1 and P2Y11 –
involved in fast and slow relaxations of the gut.
These proteins were identified in the guinea pig, but are also present in the
human gut, and thus offer the potential as a future target for drug treatment.
Further research by the UCL team will focus on the human isoform of the
P2Y11 protein receptor.
Dr Brian King of the UCL Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and
Pharmacology says: “The mechanisms we have identified are important to the
normal workings of the stomach - a hollow organ which actively relaxes to
help accommodate the size of your meal.
"The human stomach has a ‘resting’ internal volume of 75 millilitres but, by
relaxing its muscular wall, can expand to an internal volume of two litres or
more - a 25-fold increase in the volume it can accept.
"This expansion is controlled by nerves inside the stomach wall and these
nerves release molecules that stimulate the P2Y1 and P2Y11 receptor proteins
embedded in muscle cells in the gut wall."
The mechanism of slow relaxation of the stomach might represent a future
drug target in the fight to control weight gain and reverse obesity.
"We are looking to identify drugs that would block the P2Y11 receptor and,
therefore, prevent slow relaxation of the stomach," Dr King said. "As a result of
blocking the P2Y11-based mechanism, meal size would be smaller, offering
the person a better chance of regulating their food intake."
Dr King said this would be a brand new approach to weight control.
"At present, the most successful way to help obese patients lose weight is
gastric banding or stomach stapling, both of which reduce the maximum
volume of the stomach. But these are also tricky surgical procedures, not
without attendant risks.
"A pill that could replace this surgery, yet have the same effect, might be a
useful alternative,” Dr King said.
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