Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, demonstrated that inhibiting the SAPS3 protein helps mice keep a stable metabolism even when their diet contains a lot of fat. The work, published in Nature Communications, highlights a potential pathway for preserving metabolic health in high fat scenarios.
The study centers on a protein network known as AMPK, which plays a key role in balancing cellular energy. When energy is scarce and blood sugar drops, AMPK accelerates the breakdown of fats to fuel the body. It is understood that consuming large amounts of fat can dampen AMPK activity, contributing to metabolic imbalance. Yet the precise cellular mechanisms that counteract this block have not been fully explored.
Scientists have proposed that SAPS3, a component of the AMPK complex, may be essential in this process. In experiments with mice, researchers blocked SAPS3 while feeding them a diet with high fat content, to observe how metabolism would respond.
The result was that the animals maintained a stable energy balance despite the fat-rich diet. Their body weight remained within a normal range, and they did not develop obesity or diabetes in the course of the experiment.
Building on these findings, researchers are moving forward with efforts to create molecules capable of inhibiting SAPS3 with the aim of restoring or maintaining normal metabolic function in the presence of excess dietary fat.