Introduction: Obesity, diabetes, atherosclerosis, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome are synergistically operating diseases that endanger human health. Many studies provide evidence for excessive free fatty acid (FFA) as the pathogenic factor of these diseases. Fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs), which are responsible for the transfer of FFA to different cell compartments, play a key role in cellular functions. Therefore, the discovery and application of FABP inhibitors may be a potential strategy to control obesity, atherosclerosis, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome diseases in humans.
Areas covered: This review focuses on the applications of FABP inhibitors in the prevention and treatment of obesity, atherosclerosis, diabetes, and metabolic syndromes. A comprehensive description of patents related to FABP inhibitors from 2012 to 2015 is included.
Expert opinion: FABP has proven to be a promising target for the treatment of obesity, atherosclerosis, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome, and there have been major advances in the development of FABP inhibitors for this purpose. However, there continue to be new claims for novel FABP inhibitors with higher activity and specificity. Moreover, FABP inhibitors are potential drugs for other applications involving anti-cancer and neurological regulatory functions.
Keywords: FABP; Obesity; atherosclerosis; diabetes; inhibitors; insulin resistance; metabolic syndrome; target.