A multidisciplinary team at the University of Texas at San Antonio has developed an anti-obesity drug that blocks the effects of cytochrome P450 8B1, an enzyme associated with cholesterol absorption and obesity, which may bring promising results in the fight against obesity and the possibility of preventing heart disease. According to Okaz.
The research team is led by Associate Professor in the University’s Department of Chemistry, Frances Yoshimoto, who designed the drug before sending samples for it to a laboratory funded by the National Institutes of Health in the United States.
The team is currently conducting research on the effects of bioactive compounds, that is, chemicals found in small amounts in plants and certain foods, as well as studying ways exercise can be used to treat obesity and the metabolic disorders associated with it.