Research
Energy balance
TXNIP acts as a nutrient sensor in the hypothalamus to regulate energy expenditure and adiposity; its overexpression in Agouti-related protein (AGRP) neurons leads to diet-induced obesity.
Your brain plays a key role in how much you weigh. A protein called TXNIP in your brain acts as a sensor for food intake. When this protein is too high, your body burns less energy and stores more fat. Keeping this protein in check in the brain may help prevent obesity.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Mice overexpressing TXNIP in AGRP neurons are vulnerable to diet-induced obesity because of increased adipogenesis and decreased energy expenditure. In contrast, AGRP neuron specific deletion of TXNIP protects the animals from diet-induced obesity by increasing energy expenditure and reducing adipose tissue storage.
Why this rating
Strong animal model evidence.
Source
TXNIP in Metabolic Regulation: Physiological Role and Therapeutic Outlook
Naif Mohammad Alhawiti et al. · Current Drug Targets · 2017
DOI 10.2174/1389450118666170130145514
narrative_reviewCited 237×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Inhibition of TXNIP expression or activity improves insulin sensitivity, protects pancreatic beta-cells from apoptosis, and ameliorates metabolic abnormalities in type 2 diabetes and obesity.Good
- Existing anti-diabetic medications, including Metformin, GLP-1 agonists, and Verapamil, exert part of their therapeutic effect by downregulating TXNIP expression.Good
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