Discovery of a substance in a Chinese plant that helps reduce weight
The climbing vine known as “Seven Steps to Death,” scientifically named Tripterygium wilfordii, contains a potent compound known as “celastrol.”
Celastrusrol is believed by scientists to be a powerful anti-obesity agent with tangible benefits. This compound has been easily and safely produced using yeast.
According to information published by “New Atlas,” citing the journal “Nature Chemistry,” the plant, also known as “Thunder God Vine,” grows in China and is used in traditional medicine to treat various diseases.
Despite its effectiveness in treating arthritis and rheumatic diseases, extracting celastrusrol from the plant posed a challenge due to other toxic molecules present in the plant.
A team of scientists at the University of Copenhagen led a simple and sustainable extraction process for celastrusrol, paving the way to transform this compound into an easily producible and applicable treatment for combating obesity in the future.
Studies focus on celastrusrol due to its ability to interact with the peptide hormone leptin, which plays a role in energy and appetite regulation.
Celastrusrol shows promising results in restoring leptin sensitivity and regulating hunger and satiety signals, contributing to weight loss and maintenance.
Researchers clarified that using yeast as a host organism can enable the synthetic production of celastrusrol faster and more sustainably, opening up new possibilities for developing effective treatments against obesity.
