"Researchers linked these effects to the action of FGF19 in the hypothalamus, a key brain region that receives information from the rest of the body and the environment to coordinate energy metabolism. They found that when FGF19 signals in the hypothalamus, it boosts the activity of thermogenic adipocytes (i.e., fat cells that burn energy to produce heat), which are specialized fat cells that help the body generate heat instead of storing calories."
"The idea is to develop compounds that imitate the behavior of natural substances in the body, mimicking the action of endogenous compounds (i.e. those produced by the body itself). This strategy resembles the way some of the latest diabetes and obesity drugs work. Ozempic, for example, contains semaglutide, an ingredient that activates receptors mimicking the hormone GLP-1. By doing so, it sends satiety signals to the brain and helps patients feel full with less food."
FGF19, a hormone produced in the intestine, signals to the hypothalamus to increase energy expenditure and activate thermogenic adipocytes. Hypothalamic FGF19 signaling promotes the use of stored fat as fuel, improves weight control and blood glucose in obese mice, lowers peripheral inflammation, and enhances cold tolerance. These metabolic benefits depend on the sympathetic nervous system, since blocking sympathetic output abolishes the effects. Mimicking endogenous FGF19 action could lead to new obesity and diabetes treatments by developing compounds that reproduce its hypothalamic signaling, analogous to GLP-1 receptor agonists that enhance satiety and improve metabolic outcomes.
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