Mitochondria as Pharmacological Targets: the Discovery of novel Anti-obesity Mitochondrial Uncouplers from Africa’s Medicinal Plants
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2012
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Obesity results from prolonged positive imbalance between energy intake and expenditure. When food intake chronically exceeds the body’s energy need, an efficient metabolism results in the storage of the excess energy as fat. Mitochondria are the main centre for energy production in eukaryotic cells. Mitochondrial proton cycling is responsible for a significant proportion of basal or standard metabolic rate, therefore, further uncoupling of mitochondria may be a good way to increase energy expenditure and hence represent a good pharmacological target for the treatment of obesity. This implies
that, any chemical agent or photochemical compound that further uncouples the mitochondria in vivo without having any effect on mitochondria activity could be a potential target in finding treatment for obesity. In the past, uncoupling by 2, 4-dinitrophenol has been used this way with notable success. This paper discusses the mitochondria as targets in the discovery of potential plant natural anti-obesity products from Africa’s rich rainforests.
Description
Keywords
Uncoupling, Mitochondria, Pharmacology, Medicinal Plants, Obesity
Citation
African Journal of Tropical Comparative and Alternate Medicine 9 (2): 256 – 259