Fighting OverweightAfter Animal Testsgave high fat foods. At the same time, with the help of genetic engineering, scientists managed to influence the new enzyme and maintain the normal weight of the mice. This, according to experts, is about the specific for adipose tissue - phospholipase A2. It is she who is responsible for the chain of chemical reactions that suppress the breakdown of fat. “We discovered a new enzyme in fat cells that is a key regulator of fat metabolism and body weight, finding a promising way to find the means to treat obesity,” says lead author of the study, Berkeley University of California, Hey Suk Sul. The new enzyme starts a chain of processes that increase the number of prostaglandin E2 molecules, which suppresses the breakdown of fat. In the experiment, mice in which the gene responsible for enzyme production was “turned off” were compared with a control group of normal mice, RIA News quoted an article published on the website of the journal Nature Medicine. At the age of about three weeks, all mice were given an unlimited amount of very fatty and tasty food. The presence or absence of the enzyme did not affect the appetite, since both groups of animals ate the same amount of food. However, as the mice matured, discrepancies in the rate of weight gain became apparent. At 64 weeks of age — the age of onset of aging in laboratory mice — animals lacking the enzyme weighed an average of 39.1 grams (weight typical of mice on a low-fat diet), while control mice weighed almost twice more - 73.7 grams. The researchers found that the level of the new enzyme increased after eating, preventing the breakdown of fat, and decreased during starvation, contributing to the breakdown of fat. They also found that the level of this enzyme was higher in obese mice. Previously, scientists believed that the main role in the management of fat metabolism is played by the endocrine system, primarily hormones. New research shows that substances in the adipose tissue itself are involved in the regulation of the process. Although some people also have mutations in the genes coding for an enzyme found by scientists, the effect of this mutation on humans is yet to be investigated.
