A UF-created mouth spray that makes mice less hungry may lead to breakthroughs in human weight loss.
The study recently found mice eat less when treated with a peptide YY spray, according to a news release. The Peptide YY hormone is naturally secreted from cells in the small intestine after a meal. It decreases appetite, making the body feel fuller than it actually is.
After testing the solution on thousands of mice, researchers are trying to see if the hormone can help reduce skyrocketing obesity rates. Initially, when human subjects were injected, it caused them to vomit. Now, after testing the oral spray form of peptide YY on mice, it appears the spray may be equally effective without the negative side effects, said UF professor Sergei Zolotukhin.
The spray enters through a different pathway on the tongue that reacts with the rewards center of the brain, said Zolotukhin, an associate professor of cellular and molecular therapy in the UF College of Medicine’s department of pediatrics.
Liana Juarez, an 18-year-old UF biochemistry freshman, questioned whether the spray could potentially cause an unhealthy problem.
“If they are masking the effects of hunger ... how will they know when they are actually hungry and will eat enough to supply the body with the nutrients that they need?” she said.
Work on peptide YY will continue, though the project needs more funding, Zolotukhin said.
A version of this story ran on page 8 on 1/13/2014 under the headline "UF researchers: Mouth spray could fight obesity in humans"
