加拿大研究人员在新一期医学刊物《内分泌学》上发表论文说，他们在对一种名为“nesfatin－1”的蛋白质进行研究时发现，该蛋白质既能促进人体消耗脂肪，又有助于降低血液中的血糖含量。
2006年，日本研究人员首次发现了这一蛋白质，初步证实其与脂肪消耗有关。
在前人研究的基础上，加拿大约克大学神经内分泌综合实验室的研究人员进行了实验鼠实验，详细分析该蛋白质在新陈代谢和内分泌中的作用。
参与研究的该校生物系助理教授苏拉杰-乌尼亚潘说，他们发现“nesfatin－1”蛋白质可提高人体内的脂肪转化率，从而起到控制身体中脂肪含量、降低体重的作用。
此外，研究人员还发现这一蛋白质有刺激胰岛素分泌的作用。合理使用这种蛋白质，有可能控制血糖并降低人们患糖尿病的风险。
研究人员表示，此次的发现可能为治疗肥胖症和糖尿病提供一种新的方法。
生物探索推荐英文原文
Nutrient Responsive Nesfatin-1 Regulates Energy Balance and Induces Glucose-Stimulated
Insulin Secretion in Rats
Nesfatin-1 is a recently discovered anorexigen, and we first reported nesfatin-like immunoreactivity in the pancreatic β-cells. The aim of this study was to characterize the effects of nesfatin-1 on whole-body energy homeostasis, insulin secretion, and glycemia. The in vivo effects of continuous peripheral delivery of nesfatin-1 using osmotic minipumps on food intake and substrate partitioning were examined in ad libitum-fed male Fischer 344 rats. The effects of nesfatin-1 on glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) were examined in isolated pancreatic islets. L6 skeletal muscle cells and isolated rat adipocytes were used to assess the effects of nesfatin-1 on basal and insulin-mediated glucose uptake as well as on major steps of insulin signaling in these cells. Nesfatin-1 reduced cumulative food intake and increased spontaneous physical activity, whole-body fat oxidation, and carnitine palmitoyltransferase I mRNA expression in brown adipose tissue but did not affect uncoupling protein 1 mRNA in the brown adipose tissue. Nesfatin-1 significantly enhanced GSIS in vivo during an oral glucose tolerance test and improved insulin sensitivity. Although insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in L6 muscle cells was inhibited by nesfatin-1 pretreatment, basal and insulin-induced glucose uptake in adipocytes from nesfatin-1-treated rats was significantly increased. In agreement with our in vivo results, nesfatin-1 enhanced GSIS from isolated pancreatic islets at both normal (5.6 mm) and high (16.7 mm), but not at low (2 mm), glucose concentrations. Furthermore, nesfatin-1/nucleobindin 2 release from rat pancreatic islets was stimulated by glucose. Collectively, our data indicate that glucose-responsive nesfatin-1 regulates insulin secretion, glucose homeostasis, and whole-body energy balance in rats.
