title: Serotonin as a New Therapeutic Target for Diabetes Mellitus and Obesity.
abstract: Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT]) is a monoamine that has various functions in both neuronal and non-neuronal systems. In the central nervous system, 5-HT regulates mood and feeding behaviors as a neurotransmitter. Thus, there have been many trials aimed at increasing the activity of 5-HT in the central nervous system, and some of the developed methods are already used in the clinical setting as anti-obesity drugs. Unfortunately, some drugs were withdrawn due to the development of unwanted peripheral side effects, such as valvular heart disease and pulmonary hypertension. Recent studies revealed that peripheral 5-HT plays an important role in metabolic regulation in peripheral tissues, where it suppresses adaptive thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue. Inhibition of 5-HT synthesis reduced the weight gain and improved the metabolic dysfunction in a diet-induced obesity mouse model. Genome-wide association studies also revealed genetic associations between the serotonergic system and obesity. Several genetic polymorphisms in tryptophan hydroxylase and 5-HT receptors were shown to have strong associations with obesity. These results support the clinical significance of the peripheral serotonergic system as a therapeutic target for obesity and diabetes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Chang Myung
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Catholic Kwandong University College of Medicine, Gangneung, Korea.
authors.forename: Sangkyu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Korea. hailkim@kaist.edu.
authors.forename: Hail
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6652-1349
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
keywords: Diabetes mellitus; Obesity; Serotonin