Obesity and the closely associated metabolic syndrome have become one of the worst global public health problems today. The therapeutic approaches available at present have proven unsatisfactory and novel remedies are thus frantically sought. Inhibition of AH receptor (AHR) activity shows promise as a novel approach for body weight modulation. AHR knockout mice have proven resistant to high-fat diet-induced obesity and metabolic derailments but the mechanism is elusive. This project aims at revealing the principal site of AHR action and the mechanisms by which AHR deficiency augments energy expenditure. It will put to the test the novel hypothesis that AHR acts as a tryptophan sensor in the body. It will also compare the mitochondrial responses of murine and human brown adipose tissue and muscle cells to AHR agonists and antagonists. The findings are expected to further our understanding of AHR's physiological functions, protein intake control systems and energy balance regulation.

2021

2025