New strategies in the modulation of fatty acid oxidation as a treatment for obesity

Abstract

Strategies that enhance fat degradation or reduce caloric food intake could be considered therapeutic interventions to reduce not only obesity, but also its associated disorders. The enzyme carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT1) is the critical rate-determining regulator of fatty acid oxidation (FAO) and might play a key role in increasing energy expenditure and controlling food intake. Our group has shown that mice overexpressing CPT1 in liver are protected from weight gain, the development of obesity and insulin resistance. Regarding food intake control, we observed that the pharmacological inhibition of CPT1 in rat hypothalamus decreased food intake and body weight. This suggests that modulation of CPT1 activity and the oxidation of fatty acids in various tissues can be crucial for the potential treatment of obesity and associated pathologies.