This study investigated the effect of subcutaneously administered oxyntomodulin on body weight in healthy overweight and obese volunteers. Participants self-administered saline or oxyntomodulin subcutaneously in a randomized, double-blind, parallel-group protocol. Injections were self-administered for 4 weeks, three times daily, 30 min before each meal. The volunteers were asked to maintain their regular diet and level of physical exercise during the study period. Subjects' body weight, energy intake, and levels of adipose hormones were assessed at the start and end of the study. Body weight was reduced by 2.3 ؎ 0.4 kg in the treatment group over the study period compared with 0.5 ؎ 0.5 kg in the control group (P ؍ 0.0106). On average, the treatment group had an additional 0.45-kg weight loss per week. The treatment group demonstrated a reduction in leptin and an increase in adiponectin. Energy intake by the treatment group was significantly reduced by 170 ؎ 37 kcal (25 ؎ 5%) at the initial study meal (P ؍ 0.0007) and by 250 ؎ 63 kcal (35 ؎ 9%) at the final study meal (P ؍ 0.0023), with no change in subjective food palatability. Oxyntomodulin treatment resulted in weight loss and a change in the levels of adipose hormones consistent with a loss of adipose tissue. The anorectic effect was maintained over the 4-week period. Oxyntomodulin represents a potential therapy for obesity. Diabetes 54: 2390 -2395, 2005 T he prevalence of obesity is rapidly increasing worldwide; currently Ͼ65% of adults in the U.S. are overweight (1). Although even a modest weight loss can improve the health of obese individuals, efforts to treat the obesity pandemic have been unsuccessful. Novel therapeutic targets are urgently required.Several gut hormones have been found to modulate appetite (2-4). Oxyntomodulin is a peptide product of the proglucagon gene released from the L-cells of the small intestine in response to food ingestion (5). Oxyntomodulin has been reported to reduce food intake by 19.3% during an intravenous infusion administered to normal-weight humans, an effect that continues for Ͼ12 h after infusion (6). Furthermore, in rodents, repeated intraperitoneal administration over 7 days has been associated with reduced white adipose tissue and a highly significant reduction in weight compared with controls (7). Thus, oxyntomodulin may offer a novel treatment for human obesity.We hypothesized that self-administered subcutaneous oxyntomodulin would induce weight loss, reduce appetite, and alter the levels of adipose hormones in overweight and obese volunteers investigated in a 4-week communitybased study.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSHealthy male and female volunteers, ages 18 -55 years, with a stable BMI of 25-40 kg/m 2 were recruited by advertisement and followed between January and August 2004. All potential subjects were nonsmokers with normal physical examination, routine blood tests, and electrocardiograms. Subjects were screened using the standard Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (8) and SCOFF Questionnaire (9) ...