Drugs from lizard saliva reduces the cravings for food
A drug made from the saliva of the Gila monster lizard is effective in reducing the craving for food. Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy have tested the drug on rats, who after treatment ceased their cravings for both food and chocolate.
An increasing number of patients suffering from type 2 diabetes are offered a pharmaceutical preparation called Exenatide, which helps them to control their blood sugar. The drug is a synthetic version of a natural substance called exendin-4, which is obtained from a rather unusual source – the saliva of the Gila monster lizard (Heloderma suspectum), North America’s largest lizard.
Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, have now found an entirely new and unexpected effect of the lizard substance. In a study with rats published in the Journal of Neuroscience, Assistant Professor Karolina Skibicka and her colleagues show that exendin-4 effectively reduces the cravings for food.
“This is both unknown and quite unexpected effect,” comments Karolina Skibicka:
“ Our decision to eat is linked to the same mechanisms in the brain which control addictive behaviours. We have shown that exendin-4 affects the reward and motivation regions of the brain”
The implications of the findings are significant” states Suzanne Dickson, Professor of Physiology at the Sahlgrenska Academy:
“Most dieting fails because we are obsessed with the desire to eat, especially tempting foods like sweets. As exendin-4 suppresses the cravings for food, it can help obese people to take control of their weight,” suggests Professor Dickson.
Research on exendin-4 also gives hope for new ways to treat diseases related to eating disorders, for example, compulsive overeating. Another hypothesis for the Gothenburg researchers’ continuing studies is that exendin-4 may be used to reduce the craving for alcohol.
“It is the same brain regions which are involved in food cravings and alcohol cravings, so it would be very interesting to test whether exendin-4 also reduces the cravings for alcohol,” suggests Assistant Professor Skibicka.
The article “The Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 (GLP-1) Analogue, Exendin-4 Decreases the Rewarding Value of Food: A New Role for the Mesolimbic GLP-1 Receptors” was published in the Journal of Neuroscience, in the April 4 issue.
Link to the article: http://bit.ly/I5gtt5/
For further information please contact:
Karolina Skibicka, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg
46 (0)31/786-3533
46 (0)702/918-835 (mobile)
karolina.skibicka@neuro.gu.se
Suzanne Dickson, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg
46 (0)31/786-3568
46 (0)703/693-568 (mobile)
suzanne.dickson@gu.se
Press contact
Krister Svahn
Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg
46766-18 38 69
4631-786 3869
krister.svahn@sahlgrenska.gu.se
The Sahlgrenska Academy is the faculty of health sciences at the University of Gothenburg. Education and research are conducted within the fields of pharmacy, medicine, odontology and health care sciences. About 4,000 undergraduate students and 1,200 postgraduate students are enrolled at Sahlgrenska Academy. Around 1,400 people work at the Sahlgrenska Academy. 850 of them are researchers and/or teachers. 2009 Sahlgrenska Academy had a turnover of 2,100 million SEK.
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