Anti-obesity Treatments with Anti-inflammatory and Antioxidant Potential and their Effects on Obesity-related Metabolic and Cardiovascular Disorders: A Narrative Review.

Abstract

Introduction: Obesity is a condition that affects a large part of the global population, and especially in the Western world, leading to a significant systemic inflammatory response in the body, characterized by modification of the secretory inflammatory cytokines and adipokines. The combination of fat accumulation and inflammation can lead to concomitant conditions, such as Insulin Resistance (IR) and increased production and release of fatty acids, ultimately enhancing the occurrence of conditions like metabolic and cardiovascular disorders, with inflammation and oxidative stress being implicated in these phenomena and appearing as important interconnecting factors. In this review, an attempt is made to analyze, in terms of their full scope of action, the pharmaceutical approaches against obesity, which affect fats, sugars, adipokines, and also the central nervous system.

Methods: Using data from experimental animal procedures and clinical trials, the involvement of anti-obesity drugs against systemic chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, as well as in obesityrelated cardiometabolic disorders, is analyzed.

Results: Anti-obesity treatments targeting more than one factor at the mechanistic level and limiting the body's inflammatory responses could contribute in multiple ways to improving metabolic and cardiovascular conditions and derangements. However, they carry a high risk of adverse effects, which may be reduced with the combination of such treatments, leading to a more favorable activity- to-hazard ratio and elucidation of the complete mechanistic properties of these treatments.

Discussion: Until now, many gaps in the literature remain concerning one or more of these aspects for all these treatments. Through the prism of the multi-functional nature of these compounds, an attempt is made to clarify the multi-level nature of action of these substances against obesity, potentially allowing limiting the multi-drug treatment of these conditions, leading to the limitation of interactions, and the multiple side effects related to the drug combination.

Conclusion: In order to achieve the above-mentioned objectives, in addition to investigating the full range of action of these anti-obesity drug treatments, the full history of their dose-dependent side effects and contraindications is required, through further clinical studies and analyses. These findings will shed light on the complete anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and metabolic changes that anti-obesity treatments could offer, and the clinical manipulation of conditions associated with obesity, since the current misalignment and, in some cases, the mixed results between the already existing research groups lead to less definite conclusions.