Research
Mixed
Administration of chemical chaperones (4-PBA and TUDCA) reduces ER stress, thereby improving insulin sensitivity and reducing hepatic steatosis in obese, insulin-resistant models.
Chemical chaperones like 4-PBA and TUDCA show promise in animal studies for reducing liver fat and improving insulin sensitivity by lowering ER stress. However, they are currently used for other medical conditions and are not standard obesity treatments.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Oral administration of 4-PBA and TUDCA to obese and insulin-resistant ob/ob mice normalized hyperglycemia, restored insulin sensitivity in the liver, muscle, and white adipose, and diminished fatty liver disease.
Why this rating
Strong animal data, but limited human clinical trial data presented in this review.
Source
Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Lipid Metabolism: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Potential
Sana Basseri et al. · Biochemistry Research International · 2011
DOI 10.1155/2012/841362
narrative_reviewCited 252×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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