Anti-obesity effect of irreversible MAO-B inhibitors in patients with Parkinson's disease.

We read with great interest the report on the new anti-obesity potential in mice models of reversible monoamine oxidase B inhibitors by Moonsun et al., as opposed to the lack of such effects observed with irreversible MAO-B inhibitors (iMAO-Bi). Our research aimed to explore the potential anti-obesity effects of iMAO-Bi in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). This retrospective study included 37 PD in-patients from 2018 to 2023. Patients who took iMAO-Bi were assigned to the iMAO-Bi group, and those who never took iMAO-Bi were assigned to the control. The major outcomes were changes in body weight and body mass index (BMI) during follow-up. A subgroup analysis was conducted to compare the anti-obesity effect between the short-term and long-term administrations of the iMAO-Bi group. The results showed a slight yet insignificant trend of bodyweight loss among the iMAO-Bi group of PD patients. Subgroup analysis showed that short-term treatment of iMAO-Bi (less than six months) led to reductions in BMI and body weight, while the long-term treatment of iMAO-Bi displayed a slight increase in BMI and body weight. The results suggested that short-term administration of iMAO-Bi may have potential weight-loss effects. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to evaluate the weight-loss effect of iMAO-Bi.
Competing Interests: Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics approval and consent to participate The study was conducted according to the guidelines laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments. All procedures involving human subjects were reviewed and approved by the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of PUMCH (approval number: I-24PJ1149). All the inpatients were informed that the data would be handled confidentially. Information about the study was given to all participants and participation was based on oral informed consent.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)