This protein may reduce risk of obesity-related diseases

A recent study in mice has revealed that a naturally-occurring small protein, or peptide can provide new ways to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, fatty liver and other obesity-related diseases.

According to the researchers, the administration of this peptide known as PEPITEM, to mice, prevented or reversed the effects of a high-fat diet on the pancreas.

The researchers found that mice who received this peptide also saw a reduction in the enlargement of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, and a reduction in the migration of immune cells into certain tissues.

“We have found a new therapeutic approach that could provide new drugs to tackle the root cause of obesity-related conditions by preventing the damage caused by systemic inflammation,” study author Helen McGettrick, PhD, an experimental biologist at University of Birmingham’s Institute of Inflammation and Ageing in the UK, said in a statement.

The peptide used in this study plays a role in the adiponectin-PEPITEM pathway, which is involved in controlling the onset and severity of auto-immune and chronic inflammatory diseases, the researchers stated.

The findings of the study were published in the journal Clinical and Experimental Immunology. The researchers fed mice a high-fat diet, with some of the mice also given PEPITEM as a part of the study.

“These results show us that PEPITEM can both prevent and reverse the impact that obesity has on metabolism,” study author Asif Iqbal, PhD, an associate professor at the University of Birmingham’s Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, said in the release.

“The next stage is to translate these exciting results into therapeutics that can be used in humans,” he said.

According to the researchers, the results from the current study suggest that PEPITEM may have a positive impact on some of the downstream effects of obesity.