From the "free press" division of the blog, a recent post by Ferris Jabr on the scientificamerican.com site highlights yet another evolutionarily fascinating application of cyanocobalamin (herein referred to as B12) out of the Rob Doyle Lab for the non-invasive delivery of small molecules into the human-person. Here, a mechanism for the delivery of human peptide YY (hPYY) into the bloodstream via a food-free mechanism (unless you count the gum flavorings as a fruit). From the thorough and accessible article (with a decent balance of sciam and non-sciam redirecting)…
CHEMICAL COUPLE: The appetite-suppressing hormone hPYY hitches a ride with vitamin B-12 from the stomach to the bloodstream (caption credit: sciam). Losing weight is not always about anticipating swimsuit season or squeezing into skinny jeans—for the clinically obese, losing weight is about fighting serious illness and reclaiming health. But the primal part of the brain that regulates appetite will not place a moratorium on hunger just because someone and their doctor acknowledge the need to lose weight. Researchers at Syracuse University are working toward a unique solution: a stick of chewing gum that suppresses appetite.
A slightly-larger version of the image on the site is reproduced above (with the image credit most welcome on the site). For a bit more information about the general properties of B12 and its potential applications for other diet-related issues, a few articles described here @swv link to more complete discussions…
* Vitamin B12 In Drug Delivery: Breaking Through The Barriers To A B12 Bioconjugate Pharmaceutical
* New B12-Insulin-TCII-Insulin Receptor Cover Image For This Month's ChemMedChem (March 2009)