The drug used in organ transplants will help to lose weight
Last reviewed: 28.11.2021
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A team of scientists from America found that the remedy commonly used in organ transplantation to "accustom" the body to get along with new organs and not to reject them, can be useful in the fight against obesity. Such conclusions were made by experts after having successfully tested on animals - after the first application the weight of animals decreased by 13%.
At the University of Florida, a team of researchers studied the properties of rapamycin, which is commonly used in medicine to make new organs easier to take root and not torn away by the human body. During the research it was found that this drug effectively helps to fight with extra pounds.
Rapamycin was discovered in the seventies of last century. He was found in soil samples taken from the Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean. This chemical compound is a product of the metabolism of streptomycetes (Streptomyces hygroscopicus).
The name rapamycin originated from the name of the island of Rapa Nui.
A more detailed study of rapamycin allowed scientists to assume that effective preparations for combating obesity can be created on its basis .
The drug was used inappropriately, as usual during transplantation, but was administered to elderly rats (two-year-old animals, whose age is equivalent to 65 years by human standards).
Specialists noted that rapamycin, first of all, should be used by elderly patients with excess weight, because such people are hard to perform physical exercises. In the course of studying the new properties of the old preparation, a team of specialists established that the weight of the experimental rats decreased by 13%. In older rats, the ratio of muscle mass and fat mass was noted, which is usually characteristic for younger representatives of the rodent family.
After the first stage of the study, the specialists conducted the following, in which it was found that small doses of the drug led to weight loss, with this effect observed in both young and elderly rats.
Rapamycin also acted most effectively on that group of animals (regardless of their age), who had the highest percentage of fat mass.
In addition, rapamycin is responsible for the production of the hormone leptin, which is produced by fat cells. This hormone improves metabolism and reduces the feeling of hunger.
It is worth noting that a few years ago a group of researchers from the United States studied the properties of rapamycin, in their studies found that the use of this drug prolongs the life of rodents by 15%, but at the same time, the body is violating the tolerance for glucose, which increases the risk of developing sugar diabetes.
Also in the course of other studies, specialists found that rapamycin can be used in the treatment of cancer patients and with TB. Another unusual property of this drug is its ability to withstand the spread of the immunodeficiency virus through the body and prevent the development of autism and Alzheimer's disease.