Azelaic acid composition with efficacy in decomposing neutral lipids in adipose tissue

Cereal-derived azelaic acid as a body fat-reducing agent that activates the olfactory receptor Olfr544 in adipocytes

This technology utilizes azelaic acid—a dicarboxylic acid found in cereals and naturally produced in the body—as an active ingredient for pharmaceutical compositions for preventing and treating obesity, as well as health functional foods for improving obesity. Azelaic acid binds to the olfactory receptor Olfr544 expressed in adipocytes, promoting the breakdown of neutral lipids in adipose tissue.

Obesity treatments that act on the central nervous system to suppress appetite have frequently been withdrawn from the market due to cardiovascular side effects, while fat absorption inhibitors have shown limited effectiveness for Koreans, who typically do not consume high-fat diets. Although azelaic acid has been used for skin conditions like acne and rosacea, its body fat-reducing effects and target mechanisms were previously unknown.

This technology works by having azelaic acid act as an Olfr544 ligand to activate the cAMP-PKA-HSL signaling pathway, thereby increasing neutral lipid hydrolysis in adipose tissue and reducing lipid accumulation. As a food component found in wheat, barley, and oats, it is highly accessible to those who are hesitant about taking medication. It can be applied to body fat-reducing health functional foods, new obesity drug candidates, and grain-based diet products, enabling the creation of obesity management solutions with a novel target mechanism that boosts fat breakdown directly in adipocytes without suppressing appetite.

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Key Features:

• Pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating obesity containing azelaic acid, a cereal-derived dicarboxylic acid, as an active ingredient
• Azelaic acid as an active ingredient that effectively reduces body fat accumulation by promoting the hydrolysis of neutral lipids in adipose tissue
• Health functional food for improving obesity that reduces body weight and body fat by containing azelaic acid as an active ingredient
• Dicarboxylic acid compound that binds to the adipocyte olfactory receptor Olfr544 to activate cAMP-PKA-HSL signaling

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This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning for research into the lipid metabolism regulation mechanisms of food aroma components through the modulation of ectopic olfactory receptor activity.

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