Premium
Rimonabant: more than an anti‐obesity drug?
Author(s) -
Costa B
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
british journal of pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.432
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1476-5381
pISSN - 0007-1188
DOI - 10.1038/sj.bjp.0707139
Subject(s) - rimonabant , adiponectin , endocannabinoid system , medicine , adipose tissue , insulin resistance , cannabinoid receptor , obesity , bioinformatics , endocrinology , pharmacology , antagonist , receptor , biology
The endocannabinoid system modulates many pathophysiological functions, including the brain pathways involved in the regulation of body weight and adipose tissue function. The selective cannabinoid CB 1 receptor antagonist, rimonabant, has undergone phase III clinical testing as anti‐obesity drug. Obesity is considered a mild inflammatory condition and predisposes individuals to an increased risk of developing many diseases. It has been recently suggested that a successful intervention to treat obesity is a therapy combining weight‐reducing drugs with anti‐inflammatory ones. In this scenario, rimonabant's anti‐obesity action is accompanied by favorable changes in markers for insulin resistance, C‐reactive protein, adiponectin, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF α ). The results reported by Croci and Zarini in this issue highlight the anti‐inflammatory and anti‐hyperalgesic effect of rimonabant in obese animals, so suggesting that it could provide a more general and aggressive strategy to protect obese patients from many pathological risks. British Journal of Pharmacology (2007) 150 , –. 22 January 2007; doi: 10.1038/sj.bjp.0707139