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The involvement of purinergic signalling in obesity

Geoffrey Burnstock1,2,3, Daniela Gentile4

  • 1Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia. g.burnstock@ucl.ac.uk.

Purinergic Signalling
|April 6, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Purinergic signaling, involving P2X, P2Y, and P1 receptors, shows promise for treating obesity. This review highlights its potential as a novel therapeutic strategy for managing this global health issue.

Area of Science:

  • Pharmacology
  • Metabolic Disorders
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Obesity is a global health crisis with increasing prevalence, driven by energy imbalance.
  • Current pharmacological treatments for obesity are limited in efficacy.
  • Purinergic signaling pathways are implicated in obesity at both peripheral and central levels.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the evidence linking purinergic signaling to obesity.
  • To explore the therapeutic potential of targeting purinergic pathways for obesity treatment.
  • To establish a proof of concept for novel anti-obesity strategies.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of experimental animal models.
  • Analysis of purinergic signaling mechanisms (P2X, P2Y, P1 receptors).
  • Synthesis of evidence on purinergic involvement in energy balance regulation.

Main Results:

  • Experimental data suggest purinergic signaling plays a role in obesity.
  • ATP-gated ion channels (P2X), G protein-coupled receptors (P2Y), and adenosine receptors (P1) are key players.
  • Evidence supports purinergic signaling's involvement at both peripheral and central levels.

Conclusions:

  • Purinergic signaling represents a promising novel therapeutic target for obesity.
  • Further research and clinical trials are warranted to develop purinergic-based obesity treatments.
  • This review provides a foundation for future investigations into purinergic signaling for obesity management.
Keywords:
ATPAdenosineBrown and white adipocytesHypothalamusObesityPurinergic receptors

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