Scientists have developed a new class of compounds that could help fight against obesity by preventing absorption of fat particles.

Newly developed compounds called ‘micelle sequestrant polymers’ are administered to mice, which captures fat particles in the intestines and simply pass through the gut. In tests, mice who took these MSPs had nine to 10 times the amount of triglycerides, the main dietary fat, in their faeces than the control animals. Additionally, because the MSPs pass through the body unabsorbed, the researchers say they could provide a safe approach for long-term treatment.

Tests on mice have proved positive and avoided the pitfalls of current drugs, including increased risk of cardiovascular disease and depression.

"We designed and engineered a new class of orally acting pharmaceutical agents, or micelle sequestrant polymers (MSPs), that could respond to the pH change in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and potentially sequester lipid micelles; inhibiting lipid absorption through a pH-triggered flocculation process," researchers said.

The study was published in the journal Biomacromolecules.

By Lizitha