A high fat intake, together with an inability to match lipid oxidation
to fat intake, has been found to be correlated with obesity in humans
, This review describes our current understanding of enterostatin, a p
eptide that selectively reduces fat intake, Enterostatin is formed in
the intestine by the cleavage of secreted pancreatic procolipase, the
remaining colipase serving as an obligatory cofactor for pancreatic li
pase during fat digestion, Enterostatin is also produced in the gastri
c mucosa and the mucosal epithelia of the small intestine, Procolipase
gene transcription and enterostatin release into the gastrointestinal
lumen are increased by high-fat diets, After feeding, enterostatin ap
pears in the lymph and circulation, Enterostatin will selectively inhi
bit fat intake during normal feeding and in experimental paradigms tha
t involve dietary choice, Its anorectic effect has been demonstrated i
n a number of species, Both peripheral and central sites of action hav
e been proposed, The peripheral mechanism involves an afferent vagal s
ignaling pathway to hypothalamic centers, The central responses are me
diated through a pathway that includes both serotonergic and opioiderg
ic components, Chronically, enterostatin reduces fat intake, bodyweigh
t, and body fat, This response may involve multiple metabolic effects
of enterostatin, which include a reduction of insulin secretion, an in
crease in sympathetic drive to brown adipose tissue, and the stimulati
on of adrenal corticosteroid secretion, A possible pathophysiological
role is suggested by studies that have linked low enterostatin product
ion and/or responsiveness to strains of rat that become obese and pref
er dietary fat. Humans with obesity also exhibit a lower secretion of
pancreatic procolipase after a test meal, compared with persons of nor
mal weight.