Deficiency in the production of leptin, a hormone secreted by adipose tissue, seems to be the manager of immune system dysfunctions and of up to 25% of obesity cases in the world. Based on this premise, researchers from the department of Physiology and Nutrition of the University of Navarra have published a article in the prestigious journal'Trends in Imunology' in which they state that certain anti-idiotypes of leptin can reproduce processes generated by this hormone both at the level of body weight regulation and immune response.

The work by Óscar Lamas, Fermín Milagro, Brant De Fanti, Eduardo Martínez-Ansó and Alfredo Martínez is entitled 'Immunoneutralization and anti-idiotype production: two applications of leptin' and demonstrates how animals that received this antibody decreased their appetite and increased their body temperature, something that in the future could be applied to reduce body weight and, eventually, as an "anti-obesity vaccine".

A treatment based on immunology

The whole process was quite complex. Initially, obese mice unable to generate leptin on their own were given leptin. When their bodies reacted to this antigen - a substance that, when introduced into an animal, causes an immune reaction - anti-leptin antibodies were produced and injected into normal rats. The resulting new 'anti-idiotypes' -anti-idiotypes- were then used again in rats and it was then that the researchers discovered the aforementioned anti-obesity properties.

The main feature of the pharmacological treatment is that it only has to be administered every few days. The main feature of the pharmacological treatment will lie in the fact that it will only have to be administered every so often, "Saving the distances, this is a kind of insulin for the obese with the advantage that they would not have to inject themselves every day. Moreover, considering that in countries such as the USA, obesity fees is approaching 50% of the population, the importance of this finding could be enormous", points out coordinator of project, Alfredo Martínez.

However, according to researcher, finding will not be a miracle solution to the problem. "When the antibodies become available for humans, they may be potentially therapeutic to treat obesity situations related to disorders in leptin production. In addition, they may also prevent the well-known yo-yo effect, i.e., the regaining of lost weight after weight loss," he concludes.