Norbert A Looije

Publications (2)3.29 Total impact

• Article: Emerging pharmacological approaches to the treatment of obesity.

  Kishor M Wasan, Norbert A Looije
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  ABSTRACT: The obesity epidemic has been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the top 10 global health problems. Worldwide, more than one billion adults are overweight and over 300 million are obese. The majority of developed countries, including the United States, Canada and England are experiencing dramatic increases in obesity. Obesity is a condition associated with the accumulation of excessive body fat resulting from chronic imbalance of energy whereby the intake of energy exceeds expenditure. The excess body fat predisposes an obese individual to chronic diseases, such as coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes and diseases of the gall bladder and cancer. The high incidence of obesity and the lack of safe pharmaceutical agents have fuelled an increase in anti-obesity drug-related research. Although a number of pharmacological approaches have been investigated in recent years, few safe, therapeutically effective products have been developed. This commentary focuses on emerging pharmacological approaches targeted for the treatment of obesity.
  Journal of pharmacy & pharmaceutical sciences: a publication of the Canadian Society for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Societe canadienne des sciences pharmaceutiques 02/2005; 8(2):259-71. · 1.65 Impact Factor
• Article: Disodium Ascorbyl Phytostanyl Phosphates (FM-VP4) reduces plasma cholesterol concentration, body weight and abdominal fat gain within a dietary-induced obese mouse model.

  Norbert A Looije, Verica Risovic, David J Stewart, Daniel Debeyer, James Kutney, Kishor M Wasan
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  ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to determine if Disodium Ascorbyl Phytostanol Phosphates (FM-VP4) alters animal body weight and plasma lipid levels in a dietary-induced obese mouse model. Twenty-four C57BL6 mice (28 days old) were housed individually and fed a standard mouse diet for 2 weeks upon arrival. After 2 weeks the animals were weighed and divided in 4 groups of similar average weight, and the groups received a low fat (10% kcal from fat) and high fat (45% kcal from fat) diet with or without FM-VP4 (2% w/w) for 12 continuous weeks. Food, water and caloric intake and body weight were recorded on a daily basis throughout the duration of the study. Following the 12th week of the study all animals were humanely sacrificed and blood and abdominal fat pads were harvested for further analysis. Plasma cholesterol, triglyceride, AST/ALT and creatinine levels were measured using enzymatic kits. There is a significant difference in weight gain between the low-fat diet and the low-fat diet + 2% w/w FM-VP4 treatment groups (P<0.05), as well as between the high-fat diet and the high-fat diet + 2% w/w FM-VP4 treatment groups (P<0.05). However, the reduction of weight gain of the high-fat diet + 2% FM-VP4 treatment group compared to the high-fat group was 51%, while the reduction in weight gain between the low-fat diet + 2% w/w FM-VP4 treatment group and the low-fat diet group was 17% over the duration of the study. No significant differences in food and water intakes, serum creatinine and AST/ALT levels were observed between the four groups. No significant differences in caloric intake between the low-fat diet and the low-fat diet + 2% w/w FM-VP4. However, a significant difference in caloric intake between high-fat diet and the high-fat diet + 2% w/w FM-VP4 treatment groups was observed. In addition, significant reductions in plasma cholesterol levels and abdominal fat pad weight between diet alone and diet + FM-VP4 treatment groups were observed. These findings suggest that FM-VP4 may have potential weight-loss and cholesterol lowering activity in both High Fat and Low Fat Diets treated groups.
  Journal of pharmacy & pharmaceutical sciences: a publication of the Canadian Society for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Societe canadienne des sciences pharmaceutiques 01/2005; 8(3):400-8. · 1.65 Impact Factor