The predominance of obesity is consistently rising worldwide. Development
of obesity is intimately related with other chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and
cardiovascular diseases. Treatment of obesity is achieved by losing weight, but to reach
this, beyond strategies based on food deprivation, innovative therapeutic interventions
are necessary. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is considered the master
regulator of metabolism. AMPK is activated by a low cellular energy status. Activated
AMPK promotes catabolic processes to generate ATP while inhibits the synthesis
pathways (anabolism) requiring ATP for maintain the cellular energy homeostasis.
Additionaly, AMPK is involved in other cellular processes (i.e. cell cycle regulation).
The ability of AMPK to drive metabolism makes it a postulated target for the treatment
of obesity, diabetes, inflammation and cancer. We review here recent knowledge about
AMPK and its role in an obesity context. Furthermore, we provide an overview of the
effect of different drugs on AMPK activity and the association between this effect and
the treatment of obesity and its associated comorbidities.
Keywords: AMPK, Diabetes, Obesity.
