The researchers are optimistic that their discovery could inspire new drug treatments for overweight and obesity that work via the immune system by ramping up sebum production.
“I don’t think we naturally control our weight by regulating sebum production, but we may be able to hijack the process and increase sebum production to cause fat loss. This could lead to novel therapeutic interventions that reverse obesity and lipid disorders,” says Prof. Kambayashi.
Next, the researchers plan to investigate how TSLP-activated T cells encourage sebaceous glands to increase sebum production.
In humans, this may yield insights into skin diseases, such as eczema, in which the ability of the skin to act as a barrier breaks down.
“It could also provide a potential therapeutic strategy for this disease,” Prof. Kambayashi told Medical News Today.
The dosage in a potential human treatment would also be much lower than that used in their experiments with mice.
“In mice, TSLP-induced fat loss is dramatic (they will lose all their body fat in around 2 weeks),” Prof. Kambayashi told MNT.
“In humans, I don’t think we need to increase sebum production to that extent. Rather, enhancing sebum production by threefold or so would be sufficient to get rid of calories from one extra burger per day,” he said.
Because sebum results from the extraction of lipids from the bloodstream, he added, TSLP may improve cardiovascular health, in addition to inducing weight loss.
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