Authors: Steinberg, Gregory R.; Beck Jorgensen, Sebastian

Source: Mini Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry, Volume 7, Number 5, May 2007 , pp. 521-528(8)

Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers

Abstract:

Over the past decade, an epidemic of obesity has developed throughout the Western World. In recent years, significant interest has focused on the role of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes and is such the focus of this review. Specifically, the potential role of AMPK in skeletal muscle metabolism as it relates to the insulin sensitizing effects of exercise and the hormones, leptin, adiponectin, ciliary neurotrophic factor and interleukin-6 are discussed. We caution that despite the convincing associations between the activation of AMPK signalling and the restoration of insulin sensitivity, future studies in genetic models of AMPK deficiency or constitutive activation within skeletal muscle are needed to evaluate the quantitative role of AMPK and to validate whether strategies designed to activate skeletal muscle AMPK may be important for regulating whole-body insulin sensitivity.

Keywords: AMPK; obesity; fatty acid oxidation; glucose uptake; adiponectin; leptin; ciliary neurotrophic factor; metformin; exercise

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138955707780619662

Affiliations: 1: St. Vincent's Institute, 9 Princes St., Fitzroy, Victoria, 3065, Australia.

Publication date: 2007-05-01

More about this publication?

• The aim of Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry is to publish short reviews on the important recent developments in medicinal chemistry and allied disciplines.
  
  The scope of Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry will cover all areas of medicinal chemistry including developments in rational drug design, synthetic chemistry, bioorganic chemistry, high-throughput screening, combinatorial chemistry, drug targets, and natural product research and structure-activity relationship studies.
  
  Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry is an essential journal for every medicinal and pharmaceutical chemist who wishes to be kept informed and up-to-date with the latest and most important developments.

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