New Insights in the Control of Fat Homeostasis: The Role of Neurotensin

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Marco Giorgio Baroni¹  Olle Melander²  Ilaria Barchetta³  Maria Gisella Cavallo³ 

[1] Department of Clinical Medicine, Public Health, Life and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy;Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University, 20213 Malmö, Sweden;Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University, 00161 Rome, Italy;

关键词: neurotensin;    gut peptides;    gastrointestinal hormones;    obesity;    NAFLD;    fatty liver;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms23042209

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Neurotensin (NT) is a small peptide with pleiotropic functions, exerting its primary actions by controlling food intake and energy balance. The first evidence of an involvement of NT in metabolism came from studies on the central nervous system and brain circuits, where NT acts as a neurotransmitter, producing different effects in relation to the specific region involved. Moreover, newer interesting chapters on peripheral NT and metabolism have emerged since the first studies on the NT-mediated regulation of gut lipid absorption and fat homeostasis. Intriguingly, NT enhances fat absorption from the gut lumen in the presence of food with a high fat content, and this action may explain the strong association between high circulating levels of pro-NT, the NT stable precursor, and the increased incidence of metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer observed in large population studies. This review aims to provide a synthetic overview of the main regulatory effects of NT on several biological pathways, particularly those involving energy balance, and will focus on new evidence on the role of NT in controlling fat homeostasis, thus influencing the risk of unfavorable cardio–metabolic outcomes and overall mortality in humans.

【 授权许可】

Unknown