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A derivative of the ancient drug salicylate for obesity treatment

Salicylic acid nitroalkene (SANA) is a derivative of the aspirin precursor, salicylate. We discovered that SANA effectively reduces body weight in a mouse model of diet-induced obesity by stimulating creatine-dependent thermogenesis. In preliminary human trials, SANA was found to be safe, well-tolerated and demonstrated promising results in promoting weight loss.

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Fig. 1: Representative effect of treatment with SANA in obese mice and human volunteers with overweight or obesity.

References

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This is a summary of: Cal, K. et al. A nitroalkene derivative of salicylate, SANA, induces creatine-dependent thermogenesis and promotes weight loss. Nat. Metab. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-025-01311-z (2025).

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A derivative of the ancient drug salicylate for obesity treatment. Nat Metab 7, 1509–1510 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-025-01312-y

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