Peptides from Natural or Rationally Designed Sources Can Be Used in Overweight, Obesity, and Type 2 Diabetes Therapies

Abstract

Overweight and obesity are among the most prominent health problems in the modern world, mostly because they are either associated with or increase the risk of other diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and/or cancer. Most professional organizations define overweight and obesity according to individual body–mass index (BMI, weight in kilograms divided by height squared in meters). Overweight is defined as individuals with BMI from 25 to 29, and obesity as individuals with BMI ≥30. Obesity is the result of genetic, behavioral, environmental, physiological, social, and cultural factors that result in energy imbalance and promote excessive fat deposition. Despite all the knowledge concerning the pathophysiology of obesity, which is considered a disease, none of the existing treatments alone or in combination can normalize blood glucose concentration and prevent debilitating complications from obesity. This review discusses some new perspectives for overweight and obesity treatments, including the use of the new orally active cannabinoid peptide Pep19, the advantage of which is the absence of undesired central nervous system effects usually experienced with other cannabinoids.

Revealing Natural Intracellular Peptides in Gills of Seahorse Hippocampus reidi

“…Taken together, it was possible to identify the presence of fragments similar to peptides with described antimicrobial activity, and here only this aspect was explored. However, other intracellular peptide fragments identified in this study may be related to other distinct biological functions, as it has been shown in recent years [ 52 , 59 , 60 ].…”

Neurolysin Knockout Mice in a Diet-Induced Obesity Model

“…Currently, there is an increased consumption of ultra-processed foods, generally rich in hydrogenated fats, simple carbohydrates and low levels of complex carbohydrates [41], as well as a decline in energy expenditure, which is associated with a lack of regular physical activity [42]. An excess of energy ingested and not expended accumulates as body fat, especially in white adipose (WAT) and hepatic tissues, representing one of the main reasons people are overweight and obese [39,43]. The WAT is known for its storing energy function in subcutaneous and visceral depots.…”