ReviewMolecular metabolism2021
The melanocortin pathway and energy homeostasis: From discovery to obesity therapy.
Review in Molecular metabolism, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 129 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
129 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 229 citations in OpenAlex.
- Impact of Bariatric Surgery on the Expression of Fertility-Related Genes in Obese Women: A Systematic Review ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2025Pooled it
- The bi-directional association between bipolar disorder and obesity: Evidence from Meta and bioinformatics analysis.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2023Pooled it
- Liver Brain Interactions: Focus on FGF21 a Systematic Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Pooled it
- Intranasal Oxytocin for Obesity.NEJM evidence · 2024Trial
- Genetic variants of the leptin-melanocortin pathway in a clinically selected Greek cohort with severe early-onset obesity and hyperphagia: implications for precision obesity medicine.Obesity pillars · 2026Article
- Obesity, Oxidative Stress, and Inflammation in Precocious Puberty: Do All Roads Lead to the Hypothalamus?International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- POMC AMPKα1 deletion drives male-specific BAT thermogenesis and obesity resistance.EMBO reports · 2026Article
- Bayesian Genome-Wide Association Study of Feed Efficiency Traits in Pigs.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- Melanocortin Receptor Signaling Modulates Anti-Obesity and Glucose Tolerance Effects ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- The evolving landscape of obesity pharmacotherapy.Nature reviews. Drug discovery · 2026Review
- Rationale of renewed efforts in developing MC4R modulators to treat metabolic disorders.Acta pharmaceutica Sinica. B · 2026Review
- The Synthetic Melanocortin Agonist NDP-MSH Ameliorates THSD7A-Associated Membranous Nephropathy in an Active Immunization Mouse Model.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2026Article
- Genetic determinants of obesity: mechanisms, clinical implications, and targeted therapies.Endocrine · 2026Review
- Mice lacking β-arrestin-2 in melanocortin 4 receptor-expressing neurons show marked metabolic deficits.JCI insight · 2026Article
- Sexual dimorphism in the development and function of the melanocortin system.Reviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders · 2026Review
- The hypothalamus as a therapeutic target: Towards novel approaches for managing antipsychotic-induced weight gain.Reviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders · 2026Review
- Dual activation of MC3R and MC4R drives weight loss and reduces food intake in male primates with obesity.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Cellular signatures of melanocortin pathway genes across the locus coeruleus.Acta neuropathologica communications · 2026Article
- Review
- Efficacy of GLP-1 analog peptides, semaglutide, tirzepatide, and retatrutide on MC4R deficient obesity and their comparison.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2026Article
69 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
15 authors at 9 institutions in 6 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundOver the past 20 years, insights from human and mouse genetics have illuminated the central role of the brain leptin-melanocortin pathway in controlling mammalian food intake, with genetic disruption resulting in extreme obesity, and more subtle polymorphic variations influencing the population distribution of body weight. At the end of 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved setmelanotide, a melanocortin 4 receptor agonist, for use in individuals with severe obesity due to either pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 1 (PCSK1), or leptin receptor (LEPR) deficiency. SCOPE OF REVIEW: Herein, we chart the melanocortin pathway's history, explore its pharmacology, genetics, and physiology, and describe how a neuropeptidergic circuit became an important druggable obesity target. MAJOR
conclusionsUnravelling the genetics of the subset of severe obesity has revealed the importance of the melanocortin pathway in appetitive control; coupling this with studying the molecular pharmacology of compounds that bind melanocortin receptors has brought a new obesity drug to the market. This process provides a drug discovery template for complex disorders, which for setmelanotide took 25 years to transform from a single gene into an approved drug.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.