Patrick G Sullivan
University of Kentucky, USA
Title: A nano-scale approach to mitochondrial uncoupling for the treatment of obesity
Biography
Biography: Patrick G Sullivan
Abstract
Obesity is recognized as a national and global epidemic, as approximately 65% of adults in the United States are classified as overweight or obese as defined by body mass index. While obesity is associated with increased risk for metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease, even a modest reduction in body weight has been shown to consistently reduce or reverse health risk factors. In the 1930s it was recognized that increasing the body’s basal metabolism using mitochondrial uncouplers, directly resulted in steady and rapid weight loss. During this period the mitochondrial uncoupler, 2,4-dinitrophenol, was sold over the counter as a weight-loss supplement. It is the only compound to date that has been shown to be 100% effective for weight-loss but was eventually pulled from the shelves by the Food and Drug Administration as people were routinely overdosing on the compound in an effort to increase their rate of weight loss. To overcome this challenge, we have developed non-carbon-based, “self-rectifying” nano-scale devices, in which we can specifically and step-wise set the uncoupling capacity that when reached shuts the device off to further proton conductance. By targeting mitochondrial bioenergetic uncoupling in a controlled manner using nano-scale devices, we hypothesize that this will significantly alter metabolism and result in significant weight loss in a model of diet-induced obesity. Data will be presented demonstrating that these devices can produce weight loss without decreasing food intake in multiple animal experiments.
