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Central and peripheral molecular targets for antiobesity pharmacotherapy
M A Valentino1, J E Lin, S A Waldman
1Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Abstract:
Obesity has emerged as one of the principal worldwide health concerns of the modern era, and there exists a tremendous unmet clinical need for safe and effective therapies to combat this global pandemic. The prevalence of obesity and its associated comorbidities, including cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, has focused the attention of those in drug discovery and development on generating effective modalities for the treatment and prevention of obesity. Early efforts in the field of obesity pharmacotherapy centered on the development of agents with indeterminate mechanisms of action. This led to treatment paradigms characterized by significant off-target effects. In the past two decades, new insights have been made into the physiologic regulation of energy balance and the subordinate central and peripheral circuits coordinating appetite, metabolism, and lipogenesis. These studies have revealed previously unrecognized molecular targets for controlling appetite and managing weight from which has emerged a new wave of targeted pharmacotherapies to prevent and control obesity.
Insights
Obesity is a global health crisis needing new treatments. Recent research has identified new molecular targets for developing safer and more effective obesity pharmacotherapies.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Endocrinology
- Metabolic Diseases
Background:
- Obesity is a major global health concern with associated cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
- Current pharmacotherapies for obesity have limitations, including indeterminate mechanisms and off-target effects.
- There is a significant unmet need for safe and effective obesity treatments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the advancements in understanding the physiologic regulation of energy balance.
- To highlight newly identified molecular targets for obesity pharmacotherapy.
- To discuss the emergence of targeted therapies for obesity prevention and treatment.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent scientific literature on energy balance regulation.
- Analysis of molecular targets involved in appetite and metabolism.
- Discussion of novel pharmacotherapeutic strategies.
Main Results:
- New insights into central and peripheral circuits regulating appetite, metabolism, and lipogenesis.
- Identification of previously unrecognized molecular targets for weight management.
- Development of a new wave of targeted obesity pharmacotherapies.
Conclusions:
- Understanding energy balance has led to targeted pharmacotherapies.
- Novel molecular targets offer potential for safer and more effective obesity treatments.
- Continued research in this area is crucial for combating the obesity pandemic.
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