Study summary · research use only
Triple monoamine inhibitor tesofensine decreases food intake, body weight, and striatal dopamine D2/D3 receptor availability in diet-induced obese rats
Plain-language summary
Paraphrased from the published abstract below — not a verdict on whether anything works.
This study in diet-induced obese (DIO) rats examined the effects of the triple monoamine inhibitor tesofensine on food intake, body weight, and striatal dopamine D2/D3 receptor (D2/3R) availability. Four groups of 15 DIO rats received tesofensine (2.0 mg/kg), vehicle, vehicle plus an isocaloric restricted diet, or tesofensine (2.0 mg/kg) followed by a 28-day treatment-free period, over 28 days. Caloric intake and weight gain decreased significantly more in tesofensine-treated rats than vehicle-treated rats, and both increased again after treatment discontinuation. Tesofensine-treated rats showed significantly lower D2/3R availability in the nucleus accumbens and dorsal striatum than both vehicle groups, but no correlation was found between food intake or body weight and D2/3R availability.
Abstract
The novel triple monoamine inhibitor tesofensine blocks dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine re-uptake and is a promising candidate for the treatment of obesity. Obesity is associated with lower striatal dopamine D2 receptor availability, which may be related to disturbed regulation of food intake. This study assesses the effects of chronic tesofensine treatment on food intake and body weight in association with changes in striatal dopamine D2/D3 receptor (D2/3R) availability of diet-induced obese (DIO) rats. Four groups of 15 DIO rats were randomized to one of the following treatments for 28 days: 1. tesofensine (2.0 mg/kg), 2. vehicle, 3. vehicle+restricted diet isocaloric to caloric intake of group 1, and 4. tesofensine (2.0 mg/kg)+ a treatment-free period of 28 days. Caloric intake and weight gain decreased significantly more in the tesofensine-treated rats compared to vehicle-treated rats, which confirms previous findings. After treatment discontinuation, caloric intake and body weight gain gradually increased again. Tesofensine-treated rats showed significantly lower D2/3R availability in nucleus accumbens and dorsal striatum than both vehicle-treated rats and vehicle-treated rats on restricted isocaloric diet. No correlations were observed between food intake or body weight and D2/3R availability. Thus, chronic tesofensine treatment leads to decreased food intake and weight gain. However, this appears not to be directly related to the decreased striatal D2/3R availability, which is mainly a pharmacological effect.
pepmg summarizes the peer-reviewed literature and links to every source — it sells nothing, ships nothing, and gives no medical, dosing, or human-use guidance. Don't just trust this summary: follow the citation to its source and read it yourself. Research use only.