Melanocortinas y su participación en el desarrollo de la obesidad

Abstract

Obesity and overweight are problems of multifactorial origin, the interaction of environmental, genetic, and behavioral factors seems to be the key in the development of this pathology. The MC3 (rMC3) and MC4 (rMC4) receptors participate in the regulation of energy balance (food intake, energy expenditure and body weight), their genetic mutation is associated with increased adiposity and the development of obesity. Knowledge of these receptors and their function is still limited, mainly with respect to rMC3 and, although rMC4 are positioning themselves as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of obesity, further clinical research is required. Therefore, the purpose of this document is to present the participation of MC3 and MC4 receptors in the development of obesity, through the results found in some investigations, both in animal and in human's models.