A review: Anti-obesity drug discovery from natural plant metabolites and endogenous peptides

Obesity is a condition of abnormal or excessive body fat accumulation. It is a chronic and degenerative disease that is a global health problem and causes large societal and economic burdens. However, until now, long-term pharmacotherapies to lower body weight to normal along with suitable tolerability and fewer side effects have remained a challenge. Natural products from plants are a promising source for new lead structures for drug discovery. Additionally, endogenous natural peptides have attracted increasing attention for fighting obesity recently. In this review, we first summarize recent findings on promising signaling/targets for managing body weight, including inhibition of appetite, nutrient absorption and energy expenditure. We also discuss pure natural compounds (such as betulinic acid) and endogenous peptides (such as GLP1, amylin, GIP, ghrelin) and their derivatives (such as orlistat) with anti-obesity effects.