Human Stem Cell System May Create a Future Pill for Obesity

Could there be a pill for obesity? Scientists have managed to create a system using human stem cells to screen for compounds that have the potential to turn white, or "bad" fat cells, into brown, or "good" fat cells. Already, researchers have identified two compounds that can accomplish this goal in human cells.

White fat cells store energy in the form of lipids. These cells can play a role in the development of obesity, type 2 diabetes and related conditions, including heart disease. Brown fat cells, in contrast, has been shown to lower triglyceride levels, reduce insulin resistance associated with type 2 diabetes, and burn white fat.

When the body takes in excess energy, it stores it as lipids in white fat cells. This means when there are too many calories coming in and not enough burned, adult stems cells in the body produce more white fat cells, adding to a person's overall fat.

In this case, though, the researchers found two small molecules that convert fat stem cells into brown-like fat cells. In order to find them, the researchers screened a library of about 1,000 compounds. In the end, they found that the brown-like fat cells burn extra energy and reduce the white fat cells.

"[What] we were really impressed by is that there are some compounds that have this same kind of effect when they are administered to animals, but when you remove them, the effect goes away," said Chad Cowan, one of the researchers, in a news release. "But what we saw here was a stable conversion [of white fat cells to brown ones]."

The findings could be huge in terms of creating treatments for obesity. That said, the compounds seem to work the same way and scientists aren't sure what the long-term metabolic or immune system effects are. However, it's an important step forward for obesity research.

The findings are published in the journal Nature Cell Biology.

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