你晚上是否总管不住嘴巴想吃点东西呢？你是否总对路边的烤肉串爱不释口呢？据国外媒体报道，英国科学家发明一种食欲抑制剂能帮你打消吃东西的念头。
这种化学物质能在人体内自然产生，它为新型无副作用减肥药的研制提供了思路。来自英国曼彻斯特大学的研究人员表示，这种食欲抑制剂的发明会让人们吃东西是为了满足饥饿感，而不是享受那份愉悦感。
当一个人吃东西或吸烟时，大脑中的“奖励中枢”变得非常活跃，让人产生愉快的感受，从而使人越吃越多。这种化学物质名为hemopressin恰恰会抑制该中枢的兴奋性。测试结果表明，hemopressin的抑制作用明显，能有效减少食欲。
人体分泌特殊物质可抑制食欲
这项发表在《神经科学杂志》（The Journal of Neuroscience）上的研究的作者之一加兰-多德博士认为，自然分泌的hemopressin在成功抑制饥饿感的同时也不会留下副作用。在实验室的测试中，小白鼠摄入的食品明显减少。而且，这种化学物质没有对小白鼠的行为造成任何影响。另一组老鼠喂食了该化学物质的合成形式，虽然食欲缩减，但是抓挠行为等副作用增多。
多德博士称：“我们的研究表明了hemopressin的安全性，但是也不能立刻应用到人。这项研究揭示了大脑如何控制食欲，并为如何改变‘控制’作用达到减肥效果开辟了新航道。”“可以研制一种刺激大脑分泌更多hemopressin的药物。”多德博士说。
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《神经科学杂志》发表论文摘要（英文）
The Journal of Neuroscience, May 26, 2010, 30(21):7369-7376; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5455-09.2010
Behavioral/Systems/Cognitive
The Peptide Hemopressin Acts through CB1 Cannabinoid Receptors to Reduce Food Intake in Rats and Mice
Garron T. Dodd,1 Giacomo Mancini,2 Beat Lutz,2 and Simon M. Luckman1
1Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom, and 2Institute of Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Duesbergweg 6, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
Correspondence should be addressed to Simon M. Luckman, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK. Email: simon.luckman@manchester.ac.uk
Hemopressin is a short, nine amino acid peptide (H-Pro-Val-Asn-Phe-Lys-Leu-Leu-Ser-His-OH) isolated from rat brain that behaves as an inverse agonist at the cannabinoid receptor CB1, and is shown here to inhibit agonist-induced receptor internalization in a heterologous cell model. Since this peptide occurs naturally in the rodent brain, we determined its effect on appetite, an established central target of cannabinoid signaling. Hemopressin dose-dependently decreases night-time food intake in normal male rats and mice, as well as in obese ob/ob male mice, when administered centrally or systemically, without causing any obvious adverse side effects. The normal, behavioral satiety sequence is maintained in male mice fasted overnight, though refeeding is attenuated. The anorectic effect is absent in CB1 receptor null mutant male mice, and hemopressin can block CB1 agonist-induced hyperphagia in male rats, providing strong evidence for antagonism of the CB1 receptor in vivo. We speculate that hemopressin may act as an endogenous functional antagonist at CB1 receptors and modulate the activity of appetite pathways in the brain.
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Received Oct. 22, 2009; revised April 7, 2010; accepted April 12, 2010.
Correspondence should be addressed to Simon M. Luckman, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK. Email: simon.luckman@manchester.ac.uk
