Trefoil factor family member 2 (Tff2) KO mice are protected from high-fat diet-induced obesity.

Introduction: Trefoil factor family member 2 (Tff2) is a small gut peptide, mainly known for its protective and healing functions. As previously demonstrated, high-fat (HF) feeding can rapidly and specifically modulate Tff2 transcription in key tissues of mice, including the duodenum and mesenteric adipose tissue, therefore suggesting a novel role for this gene in energy balance.

Design And Methods: To explore whether and how Tff2 can influence feeding behavior and energy metabolism, Tff2 knock-out (KO) mice were challenged with HF diet for 12 weeks, hence food and energy intakes, body composition, as well as energy excretion and serum lipid and hormonal levels were analyzed.