Newswise — Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions and includes obesity, and can be dangerous as it increases the risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other diseases. In a recent study, published in eLife, researchers at Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals (UH) have discovered a therapeutic option for the treatment of metabolic syndrome and obesity.
“In 2016, we discovered a hormone called asprosin, which stimulates appetite and increases blood glucose levels by acting on the hypothalamus and the liver,” explained Atul Chopra, MD, PhD, senior author on the study, Harrington Investigator and Associate Director of the Harrington Rare Disease Program and Investigator at HDI, Attending Medical Geneticist at UH, and Assistant Professor of Medicine, and Genetics and Genomics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
“For reasons that are unclear, asprosin levels are elevated in patients with metabolic syndrome, leading to even higher appetite, body weight and blood glucose,” Dr. Chopra added. “We found that we can break that disease cycle by neutralizing asprosin with monoclonal antibodies.”
Ila Mishra, PhD, first author on the study and research associate at Harrington Discovery Institute and Case Western Reserve, explained, “We already knew that genetic reduction in blood asprosin levels leads to protection from metabolic syndrome by suppressing appetite and blood glucose. In this study, we demonstrated that the same protection can be achieved by using a drug called a monoclonal antibody that inhibits asprosin. This is an important step forward in providing us with a brand-new drug for the treatment of metabolic syndrome, one of the most prevalent diseases in the world.”
Through previous research, the team knew that people who have low levels of asprosin don’t feel hunger like others do, and glucose and insulin are reduced in their blood.
“We already know what happens to humans when asprosin is low,” emphasized Dr. Chopra. “That’s a very privileged situation in biomedical science because of the confidence it creates for drug development. Many drugs succeed in mice but fail in humans. In this case, knowing that humans with low asprosin have reduced appetite, body weight and blood glucose/insulin is tremendously helpful at designing and developing drugs to mimic this beneficial effect in patients with metabolic syndrome.”
In the study, the research team tested multiple monoclonal antibodies in three different pre-clinical models with metabolic syndrome. In all models, the treatment reduced appetite, body weight and blood glucose demonstrating multiple benefits through a single drug.
“When mice were treated with monoclonal antibodies that neutralize asprosin, they ate less, lost weight, and their blood glucose levels normalized,” said Dr. Mishra. “Elevated appetite, body weight and blood glucose are three critical features of metabolic syndrome, and they were all corrected with these antibody treatments.”
“Progress towards clinical trials and making the drug ready for humans is the last piece of the puzzle,” Dr. Chopra explained. “We want to keep the dose of the drug low and don’t want side effects. While we know this concept and this drug works, our next step in the process is to make it better and ready for humans.”
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Mishra, I. et al. “Asprosin-neutralizing antibodies as a treatment for metabolic syndrome” eLife. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.63784.
About University Hospitals / Cleveland, Ohio
Founded in 1866, University Hospitals serves the needs of patients through an integrated network of 23 hospitals (including 5 joint ventures), more than 50 health centers and outpatient facilities, and over 200 physician offices in 16 counties throughout northern Ohio. The system’s flagship quaternary care, academic medical center, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, is affiliated with Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Oxford University and the Technion Israel Institute of Technology. The main campus also includes the UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, ranked among the top children’s hospitals in the nation; UH MacDonald Women's Hospital, Ohio's only hospital for women; and UH Seidman Cancer Center, part of the NCI-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. UH is home to some of the most prestigious clinical and research programs in the nation, with a total research portfolio of $290 million and more than 3,000 active clinical trials and research studies underway. UH Cleveland Medical Center is perennially among the highest performers in national ranking surveys, including “America’s Best Hospitals” from U.S. News & World Report. UH is also home to 19 Clinical Care Delivery and Research Institutes. UH is one of the largest employers in Northeast Ohio with more than 30,000 employees. Follow UH on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. For more information, visit UHhospitals.org.
About Harrington Discovery Institute
The Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals in Cleveland, OH—part of The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development—aims to advance medicine and society by enabling our nation’s most inventive scientists to turn their discoveries into medicines that improve human health. The institute was created in 2012 with a $50 million founding gift from the Harrington family and instantiates the commitment they share with University Hospitals to a Vision for a ‘Better World.’ For more information, visit: HarringtonDiscovery.org.
About Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is one of the country's leading private research institutions. Located in Cleveland, we offer a unique combination of forward-thinking educational opportunities in an inspiring cultural setting. Our leading-edge faculty engage in teaching and research in a collaborative, hands-on environment. Our nationally recognized programs include arts and sciences, dental medicine, engineering, law, management, medicine, nursing and social work. About 5,100 undergraduate and 6,700 graduate students comprise our student body. Visit case.edu to see how Case Western Reserve thinks beyond the possible.
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