Scientists are one step closer to developing the holy grail of weight loss drugs – a pill that makes users lose weight without dieting or exercising.
They tested an early version of the treatment – currently as an injectable – on mice placed on a junk food plan that mimics the worst of Western diets.
The mice who were given the shot did not gain weight even though they were eating foods high in fat, sugar and calories, while their risk of health problems associated with a poor diet also decreased.
The drug’s makers, from the University of Texas, told DailyMail.com today that they are developing a pill version of the drug and hope to begin human trials this year.
The drug – named CPACC – is a small molecule that works by preventing the absorption of magnesium by mitochondria in cells.
The team is now working to patent the drug, but warns it could be years before it reaches pharmacies.
Dr Madesh Muniswamy, a cardiologist at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio who led the research, told DailyMail.com: ‘Our next step is to do some pharmacokinetics before the human pilot study.
‘We have seen no adverse effects. In particular, liver and heart functions were normal after administering the drug twice a week by injection.
‘We are looking for volunteers and private funding to carry out such trials. But it will be in the next six months to a year.’
Rats eating a high-fat western diet were given the ‘wonder drug’ once every three days for six weeks.
As well as maintaining their weight, the researchers also suggested that the mice may have a lower risk of heart disease, stroke and fatty liver disease.
They say this is because the drug prevents obesity, which is a major risk factor for these conditions.
Mitochondria are the powerhouses of cells and work by producing energy to drive their chemical reactions.
An important part of this process is magnesium, which helps to reduce damage to mitochondria and drive their energy-producing reactions.
But researchers say that when there are too many elements in cells it can actually ‘put the brakes on’ energy production.
To test whether reducing mitochondrial magnesium levels could cause weight loss, the researchers first gene-edited mice to make it harder for the mitochondria to take up magnesium.
They found that even when the tweaked mice were on a high-fat western diet they remained slim.
To mimic this result, the researchers designed a drug that could block the absorption of magnesium by the mitochondria.
In the latest study, published in Cell Reportsmice were fed a high-fat western diet (consisting of 40 percent fat) or a chow diet (17 percent fat).
After 20 weeks on the diet, the mice were given either the drug or a placebo.
These are given every three days for another six weeks.
The results showed that the mice that got the injections did not gain weight even while on a high-fat western diet.
Dr Muniswamy said that reducing the amount of magnesium in the mitochondria took the brakes off them.
This means they are able to produce and, therefore, burn more energy, which helps them avoid weight gain.
‘They’re all getting slim,’ he said.
‘A drug that could reduce the risk of cardiometabolic diseases such as heart attack and stroke, and also reduce the incidence of liver cancer, which can follow fatty liver disease, would have a big impact.
‘We will continue to develop it.’
