Peptides are short protein chains produced by the body. Supplementing with Pep19 (otherwise known as white adipose tissue activator cyclophilin A intracellular peptide) can induce fat remodeling and fat loss with no adverse events in dogs, according to a study published in the Veterinary Journal.
The discovery was made by researchers at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine and Proteimax BioTechnology Israel, a company that commercializes peptides and has trademarked Pep19.
“We didn't design the study to be a weight loss study,” said Arnon Krongrad, founder and chief scientific officer at Proteimax. “We designed it as a safety study, which means that we didn't select for the kinds of dogs that would have been most likely to lose weight, which would be obese dogs. These were 'normal' dogs.”
Krongrad added that the research team had no real expectation that the dogs would lose weight.
“Pep19 is actually part of a whole library of peptides that we discovered,” he said. “We weren't going for Pep19 specifically. It was just like casting a net, and this is one of the fish that we caught.”
The discovery may come at an opportune time. According to the Purina Institute, studies indicate up to 63% of pet cats and 59% of pet dogs are overweight or obese globally.
Typical weight loss programs for dogs include caloric restriction and often have about a 40% noncompletion rate. Despite dogs attending recommended appointments, nearly 65% of these animals could not meet targeted weight loss goals mainly because of lack of owner compliance with feeding regimens, the researchers noted.
Study details
The 28-day, open label, uncontrolled prospective trial included eight healthy adult purpose bred beagle dogs. Participating in the study were four neutered male and four spayed female beagles.
A physical examination, complete blood count, biochemistry analysis and urinalysis were performed at the start of the study, day 14 and day 28. Animal care technicians assessed daily a fecal score, appetite and overall animal behavior and condition to determine if there were any changes over time during the study. The dogs received 5 mg of Pep19 per day in a small portion of a canned diet each morning as well as their daily portion of kibble.
“The dogs in this trial that lost weight while being fed their typical diet at a maintenance level of calories, achieved a weekly weight loss rate of 0.2–1%,” the researchers wrote. “While the purpose of this trial was to test the safety of Pep19 in dogs, these weight and BCS data suggest an association between Pep19 and a reduction of weight, similar to the effects seen in rodent and human individuals.”
Pep19 likely involves an evolutionarily conserved cell signaling system. This means that, through a form of thermogenesis, the body’s normal response to cold converts white to brown adipose tissue and leads to fat remodeling and fat loss.
“Pep19 has been shown to reduce white adipose cell diameter, reduce accumulation of body fat, prevent plasma hyperinsulinemia and attenuate hepatic steatosis in rodents,” the researchers explained. “Its oral consumption has been associated with loss of hip and waist circumference without changing the body weight in adult human individuals.”
The researchers are also exploring Pep19’s impact on weight loss in humans, though Krongrad said that they are currently pending receipt of the data.
Source: The Veterinary Journal
doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2024.106144
“Safety of white adipose tissue activator cyclophilin A intracellular peptide (Pep19™) in healthy dogs”
Authors: Maryanne Murphy et al.
