Pharmaceutical approaches to the treatment of obesity.
The recent increase in pharmaceutical companies' efforts toward the treatment of obesity reflects recognition of the related health risks, the growth of knowledge about mechanisms that control energy balance, and the potential market for new compounds. The current patent literature gives a picture of the targets that are available for pharmaceutical intervention; these include signals of satiety and signals related to fat storage that act in the hypothalamus. The regulation of energy use and storage in adipocytes and the reduction of intestinal absorption of energy are also pharmaceutical focus areas. The multiplicity of targets illustrates not only the many potential approaches to the treatment of obesity but also the complexity and redundancy of the processes that regulate energy storage in the body.
Department of Pathology, University of Cincinnati School of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA.
Ronald J
RJ
Jandacek
Stephen C
SC
Woods
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007408:Intestinal Absorption / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D010330:Patents as Topic
D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents