Has a New Obesity Cure Been Discovered? Microneedle patches reduce Body Fat in Mice

"This may be a cure for obesitas therapy" That's what researchers write in the magazine ACS Nano. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.7b04348

How does it work?
To understand that, we should first pay attention to the problem many people face: excess fat. People have two types of fat: white fat and brown fat. That brown fat is not such a very big problem: it's quite easy to break down. White fat, on the other hand, burns us not so easily. That's why researchers have been looking for ways to turn white fat into brown fat for years - something that happens naturally when the body is exposed to cold temperatures - including fighting obesity. have now thought about preventing these side effects. They propose to administer the drugs very carefully. And with the help of a kind of micro needle plaster.

The patch
First, the drug that converts white fat into brown fat is put in nanoparticles . Those nanoparticles are then loaded in a patch approximately of 1 square centimeter. This patch is equipped with tens of microneedless. When you squeeze the patch on the skin, these needles penetrate the skin - without feeling it - and slowly penetrate the medicine through the needles. "The nanoparticles (where the medicine is stored) are designed to accommodate the drug, but slowly, releasing the drug into nearby tissues. The best thing about this approach is that the medicine ends up in the fat tissue and therefore does not travel through the body through all kinds of detours - and with the necessary side effects.

video of Columbia Medicine University

The Experiment
The researchers tested the patch on overweight mice. Each mouse was stuck on either side of the (too thick) lower abdomen. In one patch was a medicine that converts white fat into brown fat. And the other patch was empty. During four weeks, the mice were picked up new patches every three days. There was also a control group consisting of mice that were picked up two empty patches every four weeks every four days.

Metabolism
In the mice treated by one drug-filled patch, the amount of fat on the treated side of the body decreased by 20 percent (with respect to the untreated side). Further investigation showed that the treated side - in comparison with the untreated side - of the mice contained more genes associated with brown fat. What is strongly pointed out is that fat reduction is due to browning: the conversion of white fat to brown fat. This also led to a higher metabolism, so suggest experiments among ordinary, slender mice. When these mice were treated with the drugs, their oxygen consumption increased.

Mechanism of action

The patch has not yet been tested on people. But that seems to be a matter of time. The researchers are currently investigating which medication (or mix of medicines) is best suited to convert white fat in humans very locally into brown fat.

Sources:

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.7b04348