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Updated: Mar 7, 2026

Segmentation and Measurement of Fat Volumes in Murine Obesity Models Using X-ray Computed Tomography
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Farnesoid X Receptor an Emerging Target to Combat Obesity

C Daniel De Magalhaes Filho1, Michael Downes, Ronald M Evans

  • 1Gene Expression Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, Calif., USA.

Digestive Diseases (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 2, 2017
PubMed

Insights

New drug agonists targeting the Farnesold X receptor (FXR) show promise for treating obesity and type 2 diabetes. This bile acid (BA) pathway offers a novel pharmacological approach for metabolic diseases.

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Metabolic Diseases
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Obesity and type 2 diabetes are global health crises with limited effective treatments.
  • Bile acids (BAs) are hormones regulating lipid and glucose metabolism.
  • The Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) is a key regulator of BA homeostasis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the role of FXR in metabolic regulation.
  • To discuss the development of FXR agonists as potential therapeutics.
  • To highlight the therapeutic potential for obesity-associated diseases and BA dysregulation.

Main Methods:

  • Review of 20 years of research on FXR in rodents and humans.
  • Analysis of the pharmacological development of FXR agonists.
  • Evaluation of FXR's impact on lipid and glucose metabolism.

Main Results:

  • FXR plays a significant role in whole-body lipid and glucose metabolism.
  • Drug agonists targeting FXR have been developed.
  • These agonists show potential for treating metabolic disorders.

Conclusions:

  • FXR is a promising therapeutic target for obesity and related metabolic diseases.
  • FXR agonists represent a novel pharmacological strategy.
  • Further research may lead to effective treatments for metabolic dysregulation.

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