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Updated: Feb 17, 2026

Body Composition and Metabolic Caging Analysis in High Fat Fed Mice
Published on: May 24, 2018
Uroguanylin: a new actor in the energy balance movie
C Folgueira1,2,3, S Barja-Fernandez1,2, P Gonzalez-Saenz1,2
1Fisiopatología EndocrinaInstituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela (CHUS/SERGAS), Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Abstract:
Uroguanylin (UGN) is a potential target in the fight against obesity. The mature protein is released after enzymatic cleavage from its natural precursor, proUGN. UGN is mostly produced in the gut, and its production is regulated by nutritional status. However, UGN is also produced in other tissues such as the kidneys. In the past, UGN has been widely studied as a natriuretic peptide owing to its involvement in several different pathologies such as heart failure, cancer and gastrointestinal diseases. However, recent studies have suggested that UGN also acts as a regulator of body weight homeostasis because it modulates both food intake and energy expenditure. This ultimately results in a decrease in body weight. This action is mediated by the sympathetic nervous system. Future studies should be directed at the potential effects of UGN agonists in regulating body weight in human obesity.
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