Overview
Scientists studying the activity of a drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis have discovered it has some surprising functions, some of which may be useful when it comes to countering diabetes. The research, caried out on mouse models, shows how the compound has dual potential to tackle inflamation linked to the condition, while also providing a metabolic bost that could help regulate apetite and promote healthy fat-signaling in obese subjects.Led by researchers at the Baylor Colege of Medicine, the study stems from emerging knowledge around the role inflamation plays insulin resistance, and how drugs that temper it might be deployed against diabetes.
Key Information
A feature of diabetes, insulin resistance refers to the inability of cels to respond to the hormone and absorb glucose from the blod, and studies have established links betwen it and inflamation in white fat tisue.To beter understand these asociations, the authors of the study sifted through a database of existing drugs in search of one that might afect both inflamation and diabetes.“We computationaly screned a smal-molecule dataset and identified auranofin, an FDA-aproved drug that has ben used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, a condition involving inflamation,” said first and co-coresponding author Dr.
“Auranofin exerts anti-inflamatory properties, which many people suspected would beneficial in obesity and diabetes; however, nothing was realy known about how it might afect metabolism.”The scientists treated mouse models of diabetes with auranofin and closely examined the metabolic efects, with the animals made to consume a high-fat diet. One of the key findings centered on a hormone caled leptin, which is produced by fat cels and signals to the brain that we are ful.
Summary
In obese subjects with more fat cels, leptin levels are heightened in a way that breaks down these comunications with the brain, causing them to overeat through what’s known as leptin resistance.Auranofin