Homo obesus: A Metabotrophin-Deficient Species. Pharmacology and Nutrition Insight

Abstract

In most countries the prevalence of obesity now exceeds 15%, the figure used by the World Health Organization to define the critical threshold for intervention in nutritional epidemics. Here we describe Homo obesus (man the obese) as a recent phenotypic expression of Homo sapiens. Specifically, we classified Homo obesus as a species deficient of metabotrophic factors (metabotrophins), including endogenous proteins, which play essential role in the maintenance of glucose, lipid, energy and vascular homeostasis, and also improve metabolism-related processes such as inflammation and wound healing. Here we propose that pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and xenohormetics targeting transcriptional, secretory and/or signaling pathways of metabotrophins, particularly adiponectin, nerve growth factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, interleukin-10, and sirtuins, might be new tools for therapy of Homo obesus. Brief comment is also given to (i) exogenous metabotrophic agents represented by various classes of drugs, and (ii) adiponutrigenomics of lifespan.

Depression and Risk for Diabetes: A Meta-Analysis

“…As a consequence of the hypothalamic abnormality, there is increasing abdominal obesity, an increased free fatty acid concentration and increased heart rate, cardiac output and renin secretion, together with cortisol and androgen excess. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a neurotrophin, immunotrophin, epitheliotrophin and metabotrophin (58). An association between BDNF and depression has been demonstrated in clinical and animal studies.…”

Adipobiology of the brain: From brain diabetes to adipose Alzheimer‘s disease

“…Further studies may lead to or exclude the possibility that adipose tissue also "su ers" from AD, or at least extend our knowledge of viewing AD as a metabotrophin-de cient disorder, as previously proposed for obesity and related diseases (63,64).…”

BDNF and ARTEMIN are increased in drug-naïve non-depressed GAD patients: Preliminary data

“…BDNF is not only considered to be a neurotrophin but also an immunotrophin, epitheliotrophin and metabotrophin (Chaldakov et al 2007) as well as glia belonging to a complex network regulated by neurotransmitters and cytokines that intervene in neurotrophic processes. In particular, interleukins (IL) appear interesting since many studies have shown a consistent role of infl ammatory mediators in psychiatric diseases (Barres 2003).…”