Scientists at the University of California at Irvine (USA) have created a synthetic compound called SHK-186, originally derived from a toxin in the sea anemone , which increases metabolic activity and could help treat both obesity and resistance to insulin . According to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , SHK-186 selectively blocks the activity of a protein that promotes inflammation through the Kv1.3 potassium channel. The study provides the first evidence that this drug candidate, which showed positive results in a phase I safety clinical trial in March, may also work against obesity.
In tests with obese mice consuming a high-fat and high-sugar diet , SHK-186 therapy reduced both weight gain, white fat deposits, fatty liver, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. And all this thanks to the fact that it activates the burning of calories from brown or brown fat while preventing the inflammation of white fat and increasing liver function . The compound had no effect on mice eating a standard diet, suggesting that the obesity-causing diet elicits the expression of the Kv1.3 target.
The University of California has licensed SHK-186 to Kineta Inc., a biotechnology company that is developing this compound for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, psoriatic arthritis, and lupus . It has also licensed the use of SHK-186 for the treatment of metabolic syndrome and obesity.
