Research carried out on mice has revealed how a hormone released by the intestine acts on the brain and helps regulate the body’s energy expenditure. FGF19 (fibroblast growth factor 19) activates mechanisms that stimulate the use of more energy, burn fat, and favor weight control and blood glucose levels in obese animals, Report informs referring to EurekAlert.
These effects were associated with the action of FGF19 in the hypothalamus, a specific brain region that integrates peripheral and environmental signals to regulate energy metabolism. The authors of the study identified that FGF19 signaling in the hypothalamus leads to increased thermogenic adipocyte activity (i.e., fat cells that burn energy to produce heat).
The discovery could contribute to the development of new lines of drugs against obesity, diabetes, and other metabolic disorders based on substances that mimic the action of endogenous compounds, i.e. those produced by the body itself.
This approach is similar to some cutting-edge diabetes therapies currently on the market for patients with obesity. One example is Ozempic, whose active ingredient, semaglutide, activates receptors that mimic the hormone GLP-1 and signal satiety to the brain.
According to the study, FGF19 also reduced peripheral inflammation and promoted cold tolerance. However, these benefits disappeared when the activity of the sympathetic nervous system was inhibited in an experiment. The scientists found that exposure to cold increased the expression of FGF19 receptors in the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus plays an important role in maintaining body temperature, suggesting an adaptive role for FGF19 in energy balance and thermoregulation.
“FGF19 had already been linked to a reduction in food intake. Our work broke new ground by showing that it also plays an important role by acting on the hypothalamus and stimulating an increase in energy expenditure in white and brown adipose tissue. In other words, in addition to controlling appetite, it stimulates thermogenesis. So, in terms of therapy associated with obesity, it’d make a lot of sense,” explains Professor Helena Cristina de Lima Barbosa, from the Obesity and Comorbidities Research Center (OCRC) at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP).