New type 2 diabetes drug is discovered

CAMBRIDGE, England, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- A British-led study has found an appetite-suppressing chemical also improves glucose tolerance and lowers insulin levels in obese and diabetic mice.

University of Cambridge researchers found the compound m-chlorophenylpiperazine, or mCPP, effective at a low dose that had no influence on feeding behavior, body weight, activity level, or energy expenditure.

The finding suggests a new strategy for treating type 2 diabetes by targeting the so-called serotonin 2C, or 5-HT2C, receptors.

"Though just a first step, this work provides a new direction in the search for novel pathways and molecules in the brain to target for the treatment of type 2 diabetes," said lead researcher Lora Heisler. "The challenge now is to come up with drugs that selectively target 5-HT2C receptors safely and effectively."

She noted mCPP has primarily been used in scientific studies of the serotonin pathway and might not itself be appropriate for type 2 diabetes treatment.

The study that included U.S. researchers Joel Elmquist of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Andrew Butler of Louisiana State University System and scientists from Yale University, Louisiana State University, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and Sussex University, appears in the journal Cell Metabolism.