Fat Tissue Has Its Own Appetite Control System Involving Melanocortin 3 Receptors | Research

The takeaway

The melanocortin 3 receptor in fat tissue is regulated by ghrelin and leptin, and its disruption in obesity makes it a potential new drug target.

MC3R in fat tissue
The melanocortin 3 receptor, previously known mainly in the brain, was found to be active and hormonally regulated in visceral fat tissue

What the researchers found

The melanocortin 3 receptor in adipose tissue is regulated by ghrelin and leptin, and its disruption in obesity suggests it could be a therapeutic target for metabolic disease.

Why it matters

Most obesity treatments target the brain. Finding that fat tissue has its own appetite-related signaling system opens an entirely new avenue for treatment.

The numbers in context

Expression of NPY/melanocortin receptors was assessed in visceral adipose tissue of individuals with obesity and altered metabolism.

How the study worked

Analysis of NPY/melanocortin receptor expression in visceral fat tissue from individuals with obesity and metabolic dysfunction, combined with mechanistic studies.

Who was studied

Human visceral adipose tissue from individuals with obesity and metabolic dysfunction

What this study cannot tell us

Early-stage research characterizing receptor expression. Therapeutic targeting of MC3R in fat tissue has not been tested yet.

How to read the evidence

Rated preliminary: novel finding characterizing receptor expression in human fat tissue with mechanistic cell studies. No therapeutic testing yet.

When this study was published

Published in 2024. A new discovery about peripheral metabolic signaling that could influence future drug development.

The bigger picture

Discovering appetite-related signaling in fat tissue itself is surprising. If fat tissue actively participates in metabolic regulation through its own melanocortin receptors, targeting these peripheral receptors could provide obesity treatments without brain side effects.

Questions still open

Could MC3R agonists in fat tissue improve metabolic health without CNS effects?
Is the peripheral melanocortin system a cause or consequence of obesity?

Common questions

Does fat tissue have its own appetite system?

This study found that visceral fat has melanocortin 3 receptors regulated by hunger and satiety hormones, suggesting fat tissue actively participates in metabolic signaling.

Could this lead to new obesity drugs?

Potentially — targeting MC3R in fat tissue could provide metabolic benefits without brain-related side effects common to many obesity drugs.

Read the original research

The adipose tissue melanocortin 3 receptor is targeted by ghrelin and leptin and may be a therapeutic target in obesity.

Molecular and cellular endocrinology, 594, 112367

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Rosendo-Silva, Daniela; Lopes, Eduardo; Monteiro-Alfredo, Tamaeh; Falcão-Pires, Inês; Eickhoff, Hans; Viana, Sofia; Reis, Flávio; Pires, Ana Salomé; Abrantes, Ana Margarida; Botelho, Maria Filomena; Seiça, Raquel; Matafome, Paulo. (2024). The adipose tissue melanocortin 3 receptor is targeted by ghrelin and leptin and may be a therapeutic target in obesity.. Molecular and cellular endocrinology, 594, 112367. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mce.2024.112367