More energy consumption, less belly: against obesity and overweight, the mitochondria could be the cure
Under the magnifying glass are the energy centres of cells. Drugs are being studied that could promote energy loss and help control weight and metabolism. But we are at the beginning
Do you know a hydroelectric power plant? The water normally flows through the turbines and that is how electricity is generated. But if there is a leak in the dam, the energy that could be created is lost and is not used by the turbines, but dispersed as heat. Something similar could also happen in the human body, as Tristan Rawling of the University of Technology in Sydney, co-ordinator of the study (also involving scholars from Memorial University in Newfoundland, Canada) who opened up new perspectives in the approach to overweight and metabolic problems linked to an action on the mitochondria, tells us in a note. The research, published in Chemical Science (first name Ethan Pacchini) outlines for the future the possible development of a strategy based on increasing energy consumption by means of particular experimental drugs. They are called mitochondria 'uncouplers' and are designed to increase metabolism and thus calorie consumption, without damaging the cells.
The impact of obesity
Although we are only at the beginning of the study pathway, these active ingredients could in the future represent a prospect for tackling the problem of overweight and obesity in a different way, with a major impact on public health. The World Obesity Atlas predicts that the global economic impact of overweight and obesity will reach $4.32 trillion per year by 2035, obviously if prevention and treatment measures do not improve. Not only that. According to a recent study in The Lancet, which involved experts from the NCB Risk Factor Collaboration together with the WHO, the global prevalence of obesity in the last three decades would have doubled in women, tripled in men, and quadrupled in children and adolescents, affecting 159 million children and 879 million adults by 2022.
The key in the mitochondria
As said, the research is in its infancy. But it could lead to some really interesting innovations, offering another way to challenge excess weight. The researchers have focused their attention on the mitochondria, the true energy powerhouses of cells. As Rawling explains in the university note, they are responsible for 'transforming food into chemical energy, called ATP or adenosine triphosphate. Mitochondrial uncouplers disrupt this process, causing cells to consume more fat to meet their energy needs'. In effect, these molecules cause the cells themselves to use energy less efficiently, some of which is released as heat and therefore not utilised. The research presented in Chemical Science, in particular, shows how creating several 'mild' mitochondrial uncouplers can in certain cases increase the activity of the mitochondria themselves, theoretically promoting weight loss. Not only that. These mild mitochondrial uncouplers also appear to reduce intracellular oxidative stress, potentially leading to improved metabolism and helping to slow down the processes of ageing. 'The relationship between mitochondria and metabolism is very close, even symbiotic,' comments scientific essayist Pierangelo Garzia, author together with Enzo Soresi of 'The Secret of Mitochondria' (Utet). Mitochondria transform food (nutrients such as sugars, fats and proteins) into adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the cell's main 'energy currency'. This is why pharmacological strategies that influence the relationship between mitochondria and metabolism, as illustrated in this study, could become very useful for therapeutic action on overweight and obesity'.
To be studied for security
It is no coincidence that the researchers, in this basic analysis, speak of 'mild' or mild decoupling from the chemical compounds under study and thus for drugs that may develop in the future. The reason for such a focus on safety is explained by Rawlings himself in the note from the Australian University. During the First World War, some munitions workers in France lost weight, suffered from high fever and some died. 'Scientists discovered that this was caused by a chemical used in the factory, called 2,4-dinitrophenol or DNP,' the expert notes. DNP disrupts mitochondrial energy production and increases metabolism. It was marketed for a short time in the 1930s as one of the first weight-loss drugs. It was extraordinarily effective, but was eventually banned because of its serious toxic effects'. Therefore, the study went on to evaluate mild-acting compounds, capable of slowing down the process by the mitochondria safely, and thus limiting the risk of side effects.
