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ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #416059
Research Project: Molecular, Cellular, and Regulatory Aspects of Obesity Development

Location: Children's Nutrition Research Center

Title: Unraveling the serotonin saga: From discovery to weight regulation and beyond - a comprehensive scientific review

Author
item CONDE, KRISTINE - CHILDREN'S NUTRITION RESEARCH CENTER (CNRC)
item FANG, SHUZHENG - WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
item XU, YONG - CHILDREN'S NUTRITION RESEARCH CENTER (CNRC)

Submitted to: Cell & Bioscience
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/21/2023
Publication Date: 8/7/2023
Citation: Conde, K., Fang, S., Xu, Y. 2023. Unraveling the serotonin saga: From discovery to weight regulation and beyond - a comprehensive scientific review. Cell & Bioscience. 13(1):143. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13578-023-01091-7.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13578-023-01091-7

Interpretive Summary: The growing global problem of obesity is moving faster than the development of effective weight loss treatments. Despite progress in finding new targets and improving drug effectiveness, the weight-loss industry faces challenges such as side effects and health risks with certain treatments. A promising area of research is focused on serotonin, known for its role in reducing appetite and aiding weight loss. Researchers have identified neural targets related to serotonin's appetite-suppressing effects. Although previous treatments based on serotonin had mixed success, there is hope for its potential in future weight-loss efforts. This review explores the history of serotonin, current research, past treatments, and future possibilities for using serotonin to tackle obesity.

Technical Abstract: The prevalence of obesity is rapidly increasing worldwide, while the development of effective obesity therapies lags behind. Although new therapeutic targets to alleviate obesity are identified every day, and drug efficacy is improving, adverse side effects and increased health risks remain serious issues facing the weight-loss industry. Serotonin, also known as 5-HT, has been extensively studied in relation to appetite reduction and weight loss. As a result, dozens of upstream and downstream neural targets of 5-HT have been identified, revealing a multitude of neural circuits involved in mediating the anorexigenic effect of 5-HT. Despite the rise and fall of several 5-HT therapeutics in recent decades, the future of 5-HT as a therapeutic target for weight-loss therapy looks promising. This review focuses on the history of serotonin, the state of current central serotonin research, previous serotonergic therapies, and the future of serotonin for treating individuals with obesity.