Regulator of Chronic, Low-Level Inflammation Among Overweight Patients

Overweight people suffer from chronic low-grade inflammation primarily in fat tissue, which has been shown to cause insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease. A new study has now revealed that the degree of chronic inflammation caused by obesity is highly dependent on levels of the signaling molecule, hydrogen sulfide, which alters the activity of a calcium channel, Orai3.

These findings establish the possibility of targeting Orai3 as a novel treatment for the treatment of obesity-related inflammation, which has the added benefits of reducing insulin resistance and the likelihood of of developing type 2 diabetes.

‘The degree of chronic inflammation caused by obesity is highly dependent on levels of the signaling molecule, hydrogen sulfide, which alters the activity of a calcium channel, Orai3.’

This study was conducted by a team of Rosalind Franklin University researchers headed by Carl White, assistant professor of physiology and biophysics, and has been published in Science Signaling.

Source: Eurekalert