Suppression of fat deposition for the life time with gene therapy

Unexpended energy is stored as fat in the body and increased rate of fat accretion culminates in obesity. Obesity increases the risks of many diseases several folds and shortens life span. A progressive deficit in the central feedback effects of leptin, a peptide produced by fat cells and hypothalamus, results in increased weight gain and obesity. This article summarizes our experimental findings to show that a stable increase in leptin availability in the hypothalamus alone with the aid of leptin gene therapy suppresses fat accretion and metabolic hormones for nearly the lifetime of laboratory rodents. Consequently, central leptin gene therapy is a novel modality that offers a viable therapeutic option to reduce fat depots and attendant metabolic sequelae implicated in obesity-related illnesses. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.