There are not many drugs that can effectively treat or reverse obesity. Obesity can increase ones risk of diseases primarily linked to health problems such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and even certain types of cancers. A study revolving around treatment and prevention of obesity using transgenic mice to experiment on reports positive feedback that proposes miR-378 may sure be a promising agent for preventing and treating obesity in humans. The study findings demonstrate that activation of the pyruvate-PEP futile cycle in skeletal muscle through miR-378 is the primary cause of elevated lipolysis in adipose tissues of miR-378 transgenic mice, and it helps orchestrate the crosstalk between muscle and fat to control energy homeostasis in mice.
Our general understanding of futile cycle is a substrate cycle, occurring when two overlapping metabolic pathways run in opposite directions, that when left without regulation will continue to go on uncontrolled without any actual production until all the cells energy is depleted. However, the idea behind the study indicates miR-378-activated pyruvate-phosphoenolpyruvate futile cycle plays a regulatory benefit. Not only does miR-378 result in lower body fat mass due to enhanced lipolysis it is also speculated that futile cycles regulate metabolism to maintain energy homeostasis. miR-378 has a unique function in regulating metabolic communication between the muscle and adipose tissues to control energy homeostasis at whole-body levels.