Obese Mice Given Blood Vessel Blocking Cancer Drug Lost 70 Percent Of Their Body Fat

Posted by Milton Recht:

from "Drug reduces fat by blocking blood vessels" on ScienceBlog:

Now, new evidence in an animal model suggests that blood vessels in the fat tissue of obese individuals could provide the same purpose—and could provide the key to a new way for people to lose weight. When researchers Jian-Wei Gu, Kristina L. Makey, Edmund Chinchar, Carissa Howie, and Lucio Miele, all from the University of Mississippi Medical Center, gave obese mice a cancer drug that works by inhibiting the growth of blood vessels, these mice lost about 70 percent of their fat mass.***After this treatment, researchers found that the mice who received Sunitinib lost significant amounts of weight, with an average loss of 70 percent fat mass. However, notes Gu, their lean mass remained unaffected. Both mice who received the drug orally and those who received abdominal injections lost similar amounts of fat.***Gu emphasizes that more research is necessary before this drug can be tested for human weight loss.