Effects of Exenatide on Overweight Adolescents With Prader-Willi Syndrome

Summary

Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is one of the most common genetic causes of obesity. Obesity is a major source of morbidity and mortality in this population. It can lead to sleep apnea, cor pulmonale, diabetes mellitus, and atherosclerosis. PWS has distinct characteristics that set it apart from other forms of obesity including insatiable appetite and food-seeking behavior which can be disruptive to home and school activities, and can cause severe social and psychological turmoil within families. PWS is also associated with unique hormonal abnormalities, most notably hyperghrelinemia. Ghrelin is a gut hormone produced in the stomach that stimulates food intake during a fast. It is hypothesized that the extremely high ghrelin levels in patients with PWS may cause or contribute to their insatiable appetite. Exenatide, a medication used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus in adults, appears to suppress ghrelin levels and cause weight loss. It was designed to mimic glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), an incretin hormone that stimulates insulin secretion and delays gastric emptying, among other effects. In the present study, the investigators will investigate the effects of a 6 month trial of exenatide in overweight adolescents with PWS. The investigators will quantify the changes in weight and body composition, as well as subjective measures of appetite, and concentrations of appetite-associated hormones. The investigators hypothesize that exenatide will improve weight, body composition, appetite, and plasma ghrelin levels during the treatment period.

Timeline

Start

2012-03

Primary completion

2013-05

Completion

2013-12

Publications

• Background Goldstone AP. The hypothalamus, hormones, and hunger: alterations in human obesity and illness. Prog Brain Res. 2006;153:57-73. doi: 10.1016/S0079-6123(06)53003-1.
• Background Goldstone AP. Prader-Willi syndrome: advances in genetics, pathophysiology and treatment. Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2004 Jan-Feb;15(1):12-20. doi: 10.1016/j.tem.2003.11.003.
• Background Suzuki K, Simpson KA, Minnion JS, Shillito JC, Bloom SR. The role of gut hormones and the hypothalamus in appetite regulation. Endocr J. 2010;57(5):359-72. doi: 10.1507/endocrj.k10e-077. Epub 2010 Apr 14.
• Background Wren AM, Seal LJ, Cohen MA, Brynes AE, Frost GS, Murphy KG, Dhillo WS, Ghatei MA, Bloom SR. Ghrelin enhances appetite and increases food intake in humans. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2001 Dec;86(12):5992. doi: 10.1210/jcem.86.12.8111.
• Background Cummings DE, Clement K, Purnell JQ, Vaisse C, Foster KE, Frayo RS, Schwartz MW, Basdevant A, Weigle DS. Elevated plasma ghrelin levels in Prader Willi syndrome. Nat Med. 2002 Jul;8(7):643-4. doi: 10.1038/nm0702-643. No abstract available.
• Background Paik KH, Jin DK, Song SY, Lee JE, Ko SH, Song SM, Kim JS, Oh YJ, Kim SW, Lee SH, Kim SH, Kwon EK, Choe YH. Correlation between fasting plasma ghrelin levels and age, body mass index (BMI), BMI percentiles, and 24-hour plasma ghrelin profiles in Prader-Willi syndrome. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2004 Aug;89(8):3885-9. doi: 10.1210/jc.2003-032137.
• Background Rosenstock J, Klaff LJ, Schwartz S, Northrup J, Holcombe JH, Wilhelm K, Trautmann M. Effects of exenatide and lifestyle modification on body weight and glucose tolerance in obese subjects with and without pre-diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2010 Jun;33(6):1173-5. doi: 10.2337/dc09-1203. Epub 2010 Mar 23.
• Background Perez-Tilve D, Gonzalez-Matias L, Alvarez-Crespo M, Leiras R, Tovar S, Dieguez C, Mallo F. Exendin-4 potently decreases ghrelin levels in fasting rats. Diabetes. 2007 Jan;56(1):143-51. doi: 10.2337/db05-0996.
• Background Seetho IW, Jones G, Thomson GA, Fernando DJ. Treating diabetes mellitus in Prader-Willi syndrome with Exenatide. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2011 Apr;92(1):e1-2. doi: 10.1016/j.diabres.2010.12.009. Epub 2011 Jan 11.
• Results Salehi P, Hsu I, Azen CG, Mittelman SD, Geffner ME, Jeandron D. Effects of exenatide on weight and appetite in overweight adolescents and young adults with Prader-Willi syndrome. Pediatr Obes. 2017 Jun;12(3):221-228. doi: 10.1111/ijpo.12131. Epub 2016 Apr 13.

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