



Tweaked soya isoflavone LRXH609 is slimming aid Researchers at China Pharmaceutical University are doing animal experiments on a new compound that helps the breakdown of fat tissue. The compound, LRXH609, is an analogue of the isoflavone daidzein. [structural formula shown below] Daidzein is found in soya protein and red clover. The Chinese have added on a fatty acid and a methoxy group on to the compound. The new compound is called LRXH609, but the researchers call it Dzd. Dzd is short for daidzein derivative. Its structure is shown below. The researchers got the idea of trying out LRXH609 from studies in which lab animals lost weight when given natural isoflavones in their food. The derivative breaks down less slowly in the body than the original daidzein.



The researchers fattened one group of mice for a month on a high fat diet [model]. Another group got ordinary food and therefore didn't fatten up [control]. Another group were fattened and given 50 mg LRXH609 per kg bodyweight daily [Dzd2]. This group got less fat and their fat tissues grew less fast.



The fat reservoirs of the mice that got a daily dose of 100 mg of the isoflavone analogue [Dzd3] and were fattened were even smaller than those of the control animals. But the mice weren’t lighter. It might just be that LRXH609 is a body recompositioning drug that speeds up the growth of muscle mass.



The new analogue probably works by blocking lipase enzymes in the gut and fat cells. Lipases help the intestines to extract fats from food and fat cells to store energy from food in the form of fat. The figure below shows that increasing concentrations of LRH609 in test tubes reduce the activity of the lipase enzyme.



"Dzd can significantly reduce the body and white adipose tissue weight of obese mice and ameliorate the hyperlipoidemia induced by the high fat diet without apparent ill effects", the researchers conclude. The article gives no indications of plans to launch the new substance on the market or of follow-up research. Information on the sponsor doesn't give much away either. The research was financed by the researchers' university. Is this a substance that could be put into supplements? Without the FDA getting angry? Source:

Nutr Res. 2009 Sep;29(9):656-63.







