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Related Concept Videos

Obesity01:24

Obesity

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The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a numerical value derived from a person's weight and height, used to categorize individuals into weight ranges. It is calculated using the formula: weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. Obesity is a health condition characterized by excessive accumulation of adipose tissue that poses health risks, often diagnosed with a BMI ≥ 30. This excess fat storage occurs when surplus dietary calories are converted into triglycerides and stored in...
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Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Active Drug, Metabolite and Fraction of Metabolized Drug01:14

Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Active Drug, Metabolite and Fraction of Metabolized Drug

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In pharmacotherapy, monitoring drug concentrations is paramount, especially for drugs whose therapeutic effects hinge on both the active compound and its metabolite. Hepatic impairment profoundly influences drug potency by altering liver function. If the drug is more potent than its metabolite, impaired liver function amplifies drug activity due to elevated drug concentration levels. Conversely, if the metabolite holds greater potency, diminished liver function diminishes drug activity by...
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Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Dose Adjustments Due to Hepatic Impairment01:08

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Hepatic impairment, characterized by decreased liver function, does not uniformly mandate adjustments in drug dosage. Whether dosage modifications are necessary depends on various factors related to the drug's metabolism and elimination pathways. If a drug is primarily excreted via the kidneys and bypasses significant hepatic processing, if it undergoes minimal metabolic transformation in the liver, or if it is volatile and primarily expelled through the lungs, dose adjustments may not be...
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Drug Dosing: Obese Patients01:21

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In the United States, obesity is a prominent concern. It is linked to heightened mortality rates due to increased occurrences of conditions such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, and diabetes compared to nonobese individuals. A patient is classified as obese if their actual body weight surpasses the ideal or desirable body weight by 20%, based on Metropolitan Life Insurance Company data. Ideal body weights consider average weights and heights for males and females...
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Hepatic Portal System01:21

Hepatic Portal System

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The hepatic portal system, a critical part of our circulatory framework, transports nutrient-laden, deoxygenated blood from the gastrointestinal tract and spleen to the liver. This ingenious system plays an indispensable role in maintaining our body's metabolic equilibrium.
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Endocrine Signaling01:45

Endocrine Signaling

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Endocrine cells produce hormones to communicate with remote target cells found in other organs. The hormone reaches these distant areas using the circulatory system. This exposes the whole organism to the hormone but only those cells expressing hormone receptors or target cells are affected. Thus, endocrine signaling induces slow responses from its target cells but these effects also last longer.
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Multidisciplinary Approach to Obesity Management: A Case Report
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Betulin Activates Hepatic PPARα-FGF21 Signaling to Combat Obesity.

Lulu Ma1, Tengteng Huang1, Xihao Luo1

  • 1Animal Nutrition Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China.

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
|January 25, 2026
PubMed
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Betulin, a natural compound, combats obesity by activating the PPARα pathway, which increases FGF21 production. This mechanism improves glucose tolerance and reduces liver fat, offering new hope for metabolic disorder treatments.

Keywords:
FGF21PPARαbetulinobesity

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Area of Science:

  • Metabolic disorders
  • Obesity research
  • Natural product pharmacology

Background:

  • Betulin, a pentacyclic triterpenoid, shows promise for metabolic disorders.
  • Its precise mechanisms of action, particularly in obesity, are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the metabolic effects of betulin in a high-fat diet-induced obesity mouse model.
  • To elucidate the molecular pathways mediating betulin's action, focusing on hepatic gene expression and signaling.

Main Methods:

  • Dietary supplementation with betulin in mice fed a high-fat diet.
  • Hepatic transcriptomics to analyze gene expression changes.
  • Molecular dynamics simulations and experimental validation to confirm molecular interactions.

Main Results:

  • Betulin supplementation reduced body weight gain, improved glucose tolerance, and decreased liver lipid accumulation.
  • Hepatic transcriptomics identified the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPARα) pathway and fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) as key targets.
  • Betulin was confirmed to act as a PPARα agonist, inducing FGF21 expression both in vivo and in vitro.

Conclusions:

  • Betulin acts as a PPARα agonist, leading to increased FGF21 expression and conferring metabolic benefits.
  • This study elucidates a novel hepatokine-dependent pathway for betulin's anti-obesity and anti-metabolic disorder effects.