Lying flat to burn calories? China's scientific research team has discovered new ways to lose weight

On November 25, the reporter learned from the press conference held by Jinan University (hereinafter referred to as Jinan University) that the team of Professor Yin Zhinan of the Institute of Biomedical Transformation of Jinan University found for the first time that interleukin (IL-27) can directly target fat cells and promote fat cell thermogenesis, by burning lipids, burning calories, and easily losing weight. More critically, IL-27 improves type 2 diabetes, providing new targets and potential drugs for the treatment of obesity and its associated metabolic diseases. On November 24, the journal Nature published the research online.

For the first time, interleukins were found to burn fat

"Insulin resistance is the cause of obesity. Insulin resistance can also cause a range of metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, fatty liver, and ovarian polycystic syndrome. If the problem of insulin resistance can be improved, obesity and many metabolic diseases may be better treated. Yin Zhinan said.

Yin Zhinan has long been engaged in basic and clinical research on immunity and health, and in 2014, he proposed to study obesity from the immune system to see if it can bring new ways and new hopes to obesity treatment from the perspective of the immune system.

"We found through clinical observation that the IL-27 content in obese patients was low, but after they completed bariatric surgery, IL-27 recovered." Yin Zhinan and the team are particularly curious, is it possible that IL-27 is a new target, but the traditional concept of IL-27 is a specific target of immune cells? With doubts in mind, the team continued to delve further.

By constructing a variety of genetically engineered mice, using a high-fat diet-induced obesity model, and combining with a sample of obese people, the team found that the serum level of IL-27 in obese people did decrease. For the first time, IL-27 was found to brown white fat cells by acting directly on fat cells and activating "fat burning"; by converting lipids in adipose tissue into calories, it achieved the purpose of reducing body weight and improving metabolic diseases such as diabetes. At the same time, it also breaks through the traditional concept of IL-27 specifically targeting immune cells.

In animal experiments, injecting recombinant IL-27 can significantly reduce the weight of obese mice and improve insulin signal sensitivity, initially verifying the potential of IL-27 as a therapeutic drug. "The root cause of type 2 diabetes is that the response to insulin signaling is weakened. Insulin is like a key, and the overall signal under it is a lock. If the lock is rusty and the key is inserted, I can't unscrew it for half a day, it's like insulin sends a signal, but the signal doesn't respond, can't consume glucose, and causes the disorder of blood sugar in the human body. Wang Qian, the first author of the paper and a postdoctoral fellow at Zhuhai People's Hospital affiliated to the University, said, "The IL-27 effect we have now found is equivalent to making the lock more lubricated and sharp, so that the key can be opened immediately as soon as it is extended, thereby improving the overall disordered state and restoring the patient's blood sugar to a healthy level." ”

IL-27 is a normally expressed molecule in the body, not a synthetic exogenous compound, with high safety. "It can improve type 2 diabetes without restricting diets, without dieting, burning fat, losing weight, and improving sensitivity to insulin signaling mechanically." The other first author of the paper, Li Dehai, a postdoctoral fellow of Zhuhai Municipal People's Hospital affiliated to the University, was introduced.

It is expected to develop RNA-related drugs

The research results of this scientific research lasted 7 years. "Without the relaxed and free scientific research environment given by the school, without the persistence of Wang Qian and the team, it would be difficult for us to get to this step." At the press conference, Yin Zhinan said emotionally. In 2018, when it was first rejected by Nature, the team was faced with two choices: give up or stick with it. At that time, Yin Zhinan seriously talked to Wang Qian, "I don't want to affect the future of students because of a paper." But Wang Qian insisted on continuing the study.

"I thought I would be able to complete this research after doing a postdoc. But there was no, and I could only continue to do postdoctoral work. Wang Qian smiled and said, "I was just curious and curious about the results of the study." ”

With curiosity, Wang Qian overcame the difficulties caused by the new crown pneumonia epidemic and continued to go down. The team innovatively proposed that IL-27 is to reduce body weight and improve metabolic diseases by directly targeting fat cells, rather than what is traditionally believed to be targeting immune cells. "When we first made this point, one reviewer disagreed. We have done a series of 6 aspects of sufficient evidence to prove this phenomenon. She said.

"We are very much looking forward to industrializing this therapeutic target as soon as possible, promoting its clinical application, and developing RNA-related drugs to provide a new treatment for a series of metabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and fatty liver." Yin Zhinan also revealed another research direction, "through the change of IL-27 levels, predict the physical health status."

However, he also stressed that from the laboratory to the clinic, there is still a long way to go, "the smoothest also needs more than 5 years, the need for policy, investment and other aspects of the joint efforts."

Wen/Science and Technology Daily reporter Ye Qing

Editor/Fan Hui