Articles
A dual immunologist measures hormones related to obesity and anorexia
by Derrick Corea Technosoft Innovations, IncDiseases such as obesity or anorexia are characterized by
having unbalanced levels of some hormones, related to appetite and satiety.
Researchers from the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) have designed an
immunosensor that, for the first time, simultaneously determines the values
of two of these substances, ghrelin and the YY peptide. The tool has been
tested with human serum and saliva samples.
"The current kits are characterized by requiring very
long analysis times and presenting a low accuracy," says Paloma
Yáñez-Sedeño, professor of the Department of Analytical Chemistry at the UCM
and lead author of the study.
The device developed by scientists registers a high
sensitivity, is more precise and requires shorter analysis times than current
methods. In addition, it can be used to determine multiple biomolecules, as
shown in the work published in Electrochimica Acta .
The researchers had previously developed two electrochemical
immunosensors to measure both hormones, ghrelin and peptide YY, but
individually, so the current study goes a step further.
"The multiple determination is a trend in our field of
research since it can be obtained in less time and in a very simple way more information
about the status of patients," explains Yáñez-Sedeño.
Before and after eating
Ghrelin is generated in the stomach and acts by stimulating
the appetite. For its part, peptide YY is synthesized in the intestine and
plays an important role in satiety. In this way, the concentration of ghrelin
increases before meals, raising the appetite, while peaks of maximum
concentration of peptide YY appear after eating.
"The activity of these hormones is, therefore, opposed,
and their level of concentration in human serum or saliva is related to the
degree of obesity or diseases such as anorexia," stresses the scientist.
The researchers hope to be able to test the tool on real patient samples.
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About Derrick Corea 
Technosoft Innovations, Inc
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Created on Mar 21st 2018 01:44. Viewed 325 times.
