The JH 17 and JH 18 vaccines given to mice reduce the tendency to gain weight and facilitate weight loss, reports the Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology.
Obesity and related diseases are an increasingly serious threat worldwide. The peptide hormone – somatostatin – blocks the action of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1). Both GH and IGF-1 increase metabolism, which leads to weight loss.
The vaccine contains modified somatostatin. When injected, the body begins to produce antibodies to somatostatin, which reduces the inhibitory effect of this substance on GH and IGF-1. As a result, energy expenditure increases and body weight decreases.
The mice were tested for the vaccine by Keith Haffer of the American biotechnology company Braasch Biotech LLC in Garretson, South Dakota. Twenty rodents were obese by feeding them an appropriate diet for eight weeks, after which ten mice were vaccinated. The control group was given an injection of saline solution instead of the vaccine. Both groups were followed for a further six weeks with a further booster dose of the vaccine (or salt water) on the 22nd day.
Four days after the first injection of modified somatostatin, the body weight of the vaccinated mice dropped by 10%. – this effect did not occur in the control group. At the end of the study, it turned out that vaccines with modified soamtostatin led to the formation of antibodies against it, and significantly – by 10 percent. – reduced body weight without affecting the normal levels of growth hormone (IGF-1) or insulin levels.
The authors of the study considered the results to be promising, although further work will be required to assess the long-term effects of the vaccine. (PAP)
pmw/dd/