Grant: CIHR New Investigator

Obesity and diabetes are debilitating diseases reaching pandemic proportions in developed countries. According to Statistics Canada reports, 23.1% of adult Canadians and 26% Canadian children and adolescents are obese. Approximately 1 billion of the global population is obese. About 5% of Canadians have diabetes. Several hormones, produced in the body are involved in the regulation of blood glucose levels and body weight. Defects in the production, secretion and/or action of these hormones could contribute to certain types of obesity and/or diabetes. There is a great deal of interest in using natural appetite and glucose regulating hormones to treat obesity. Nesfatin is a recently discovered appetite inhibitory hormone. My preliminary research, as well as studies by other researchers have shown that nesfatin-1 administration causes a decrease in food intake and body weight. We also found nesfatin in the insulin producing cells of the pancreas, and observed that nesfatin infusion causes an increase in insulin secretion. The presence of nesfatin-1 in the pancreas, and its food intake inhibitory and insulin stimulatory effects suggest an important role for this novel peptide in regulating metabolism. However, the biological functions and mechanisms of actions of nesfatin remain largely unknown. I hypothesize that nesfatin is involved in the regulation of blood glucose levels and metabolism. Using experimental models, I propose to study the role of nesfatin in regulating blood glucose levels, insulin secretion, and the mechanisms that mediate these actions in animal models of diabetes and obesity. I anticipate nesfatin to decrease blood glucose levels and reduce body weight. If found effective in reducing food intake and promoting weight loss and blood glucose levels, nesfatin could become beneficial for developing potential therapies for diabetes and obesity.