Acetyl-CoA carboxylase inhibition for the treatment of metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome is defined as a clustering of cardiovascular risk factors (abdominal obesity, hyperinsulinemia, atherogenic dyslipidemia, hypertension and hypercoagulability) that together increase the risk of developing coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Inhibition of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), which results in inhibition of fatty acid synthesis and stimulation of fatty acid oxidation, has the potential to favorably affect a multitude of cardiovascular risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome. ACC exists as two tissue-specific isozymes, ACC1 present in lipogenic tissues (liver and adipose) and ACC2 present in oxidative tissues (liver, heart and skeletal muscle). Studies in both ACC2 knockout mice and animals administered isozyme-nonselective ACC inhibitors have demonstrated the utility of treating metabolic syndrome through this modality. An isozyme-non-selective ACC inhibitor may potentially provide the optimal therapeutic for beneficially affecting metabolic syndrome. However, demonstration of the full potential of isozyme-selective inhibitors, once identified, should reveal advantages and liabilities associated with single isozyme inhibition. While demonstrating clinical efficacy of an ACC inhibitor should be relatively straightforward, the heterogeneity of the patient population and the absence of established guidelines regarding approval endpoints for agents simultaneously affecting multiple aspects of metabolic syndrome will pose developmental challenges for initial market entries.