Want to lose weight? Just convert your white fat cells into brown ones.

Brown fat cells are much easier for the body to burn and dissipate energy as heat. Obese people typically have a high ratio of white to brown fat cells and have a hard time losing weight even while dieting and exercising.

Purdue University researchers have developed a means to disrupt the Notch signaling pathway that controls The image illustrates inductive browning of inguinal white adipose tissue (H&E staining shown in the background) by dibenzazepine-loaded nanoparticles (five particles shown in the front). Source: Alexander M. Gokanthe white/brown differentiation of fat cells. Blocking that signal in a progenitor cell destined to become one of the undesirable white fat cells leads to the creation of brown fat—and an improvement in metabolism.

Signal obstruction is accomplished with an engineered polymeric nanoparticle that delivers an inhibitor to white fat cells. The nanoparticle is composed of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid), a U.S. Food & Drug Administration-approved polymer and the drug Dibenzazepine.

The nanoparticle, smaller than 200 nm in size, disrupted Notch signaling and led to the creation of brown fat cells in a mouse model.

By injecting the drug-laden particles into fat, it may be possible to develop therapies that target fat loss in specific parts of the body. In the mouse model, targeting a specific fat depot with weekly injections of nanoparticles is sufficient to bring about systemic improvements in glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. Removing excess fat would likely decrease the odds of developing type 2 diabetes.