UTSW study finds potential strategies to fight obesity

Scientists at the University of Texas Southwestern may have found a safe way to mimic the weight loss benefits of a plant compound.

Celastrol, a root extract of a white flower plant in China, has received more and more attention in recent years because research has shown that it can prevent and reverse obesity in mice

A new study by UT Southwestern University may solve this mystery to a certain extent

The key to this discovery is that in previous studies using Celastrol, these mice did not seem to suffer from the same physical disease

"The new understanding of how Celastrol works at the cellular level opens up more possibilities for targeted pathways that can improve our metabolism without negative health effects," said study author Dr.

The research published in the journal "JCI Insight" is the latest research by Dr.

The new research focuses on a class of cells in the brain called POMC neurons, which are associated with decreased appetite, lower blood sugar levels, and higher energy expenditure when activated

In the latest research, the Williams laboratory found that this neuron also plays a key role in how celastrol affects weight loss

"These mice are thinner and have no change in activity levels; they don't appear to be lethargic, sick, or sick," Dr.

The US Food and Drug Administration warns people not to use celastrol, a substance also known as tripterygium in traditional Chinese medicine

But this compound has given scientists an important understanding of how to develop safer weight loss strategies in the laboratory

"This shows that in addition to POMC, celastrol has other cell populations," said Dr.