Hypothalamic AMPK as a possible target for energy balance-related diseases.

Trends Pharmacol Sci

NeurObesity Group, Department of Physiology, CIMUS, University of Santiago de Compostela - Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain; CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn), 15706 Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Electronic address:

Published: July 2022

Hypothalamic AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a canonical regulator of energy balance and metabolism at the whole-body level. This makes this enzyme an attractive target for treating energy balance-related diseases. However, targeting AMPK within the hypothalamus presents a challenge related to the specific cellular biodistribution of the enzyme and the need to use clinically safe methods of administration. Current evidence has shown that targeting based on small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) might offer a realistic approach for regulating hypothalamic AMPK. This would allow modulation of both sides of the energy-balance equation, namely food intake and energy expenditure, and therefore of overall metabolism. Moreover, this strategy could provide treatment options not only for obesity but also for catabolic/wasting diseases such as hyperthyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis, and even cancer cachexia.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tips.2022.04.007DOI Listing

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