Carissa Wong is a person.
The light micrograph shows phenylalanine.
The science photo library is named after Michael W. Davidson.
An altered form of an amino acid that is produced in both humans and mice can be used to help obese mice lose weight. The findings could lead to a new type of drug for treating obese people.
The role of the molecule lac-phe, which is produced when the amino acid phenylalanine reacts with another molecule, has been unknown.
Evidence has been found that lac-phe reduces the appetite of mice after exercising.
There is a metabolite called lac-phe that can increase in the circulation after exercise. In an obese mouse model, this metabolite can be used to suppress food intake.
The concentration of lac-phe in the blood of five mice that had run to exhaustion on a treadmill was higher than that of any other molecule.
Twelve obese mice were injected with either lac-phe or a control solution every day for ten days. The team found that the mice given lac-phe consumed half as much food as the control mice within 12 hours after the first injection. The molecule lac-phe was given to lean mice and was found to only suppress appetite in obese mice.
One of my favorite theories is that lac-phe may have better access to the brain in obese mice than in lean mice, because the blood-brain barrier may have increased in obese mice. We are looking into this.
The team found that lac-phe injections didn't change activity levels of the mice that were obese and there was no evidence that it reduced their appetite.
The effect on appetite in humans needs to be confirmed after the researchers discovered that lac-phe levels increase after exercise in humans.
It could lead to the development of a pill that can be used to suppress appetite for people who can't exercise because of other conditions. We just got a patent for using this knowledge to treat diseases.
Hashim Islam says that the work provides novel insight into the mechanisms by which exercise alters appetite and food intake in mice. Lac-phe may hold therapeutic potential if proven to be a potent regulator of appetite and food intake in humans.
The journal's title is " Nature."
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