Unveiling the role of hormones in obesity
Obesity is becoming a serious health problem in developed countries with over 360 000 deaths recorded in 2000 in the United States alone. Its increasing prevalence amongst young children and adolescents indicates that it will remain a major threat in the future. Researchers of the EU-funded 'Gastro-intestinal peptides in obesity' (GIPIO) project hypothesised that obesity was triggered by a reduction or block of hormones/signals after food intake, prohibiting satiety. The research focus of the study was to investigate the role that gastro-intestinal peptides play in the development of obesity. To this end, partners performed a thorough analysis of peptide hormones and studied their in vivo functions in animals and humans. To understand more precisely the relationship and importance between structure and function, appropriate modifications and optimisation of native peptide hormones were performed. These were then analysed in terms of their metabolic stability and biodistribution. The long-term goal of the GIPIO project was to develop promising anti-obesity compounds based on endogenous hormone agonists or antagonists. Results on the efficacy of such compounds will determine which hormones or combinations of hormones could be blocked as a means of treating obesity. So far, in the battle against obesity, the only notably efficacious treatment is bariatric surgery, the surgical reduction of the size of the stomach. The GIPIO approach promises to provide a similar level of treatment success without the potential drawbacks of an invasive procedure. Coupled with an elucidation of the cellular and molecular pathophysiological mechanisms involved in obesity, the GIPIO study is expected to draw major conclusions on how nutrition affects hormone release and vice versa.
