The developed world is currently in the grip of an obesity epidemic. As a result, there is much ongoing research into the development of an effective anti-obesity agent. Peptide YY (PYY) is a 36 amino acid gastro-intestinal hormone released post-prandially by L-cells in the gastro-intestinal tract in proportion to the calorie content of a meal. The predominant form of the hormone found in circulation is the truncated PYY(3-36). Administration of PYY(3-36) at physiological doses to humans has been shown to reduce food intake. However, due to enzymatic degradation these effects are short lived, reducing the hormone’s utility as an anti-obesity pharmaceutical agent. A series of analogues of PYY(3-36) were designed either with amino acid substitutions in specific parts of the peptide sequence and/or with chemical modifications to the native sequence with the aim of increasing resistance to enzymatic activity whilst retaining or even enhancing the peptide’s bioactivity. The analogues were tested for resistance to degradation by different proteolytic enzymes in comparison to natural PYY(3-36). Their affinity to the Y2 receptor, for which PYY(3-36) is a natural agonist was then investigated. Finally, the effects of peripheral administration of selected analogues on food intake in overnight fasted mice were investigated. These studies suggest that PYY(3-36) analogues may be a useful approach for the treatment of obesity, but further development work is required.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:550944 |
| Date | January 2012 |
| Creators | Pritchard, Iain David |
| Contributors | Ghatei, Mohammad ; Murphy, Kevin |
| Publisher | Imperial College London |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/9243 |
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