KY-226 is a potent, selective, orally active and allosteric inhibitor of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) with IC50 of 0.28 μM for human PTP1B activity. KY-226 exerts anti-diabetic and anti-obesity effects by enhancing insulin and leptin signaling, respectively.
KY-226 inhibits human PTP1B activity, but does not exhibit peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) agonist activity. In rodent preadipocytes (3T3-L1), KY-226 up to 10 μM has no effects on adipocyte differentiation. In human hepatoma-derived cells (HepG2), KY-226 (0.3-10 μM) increases the phosphorylated insulin receptor (pIR) produced by insulin.[1]
In db/db mice, the oral administration of KY-226 (10 and 30 mg/kg/day, 4 weeks) significantly reduces plasma glucose and triglyceride levels as well as hemoglobin A1c values without increasing body weight gain. KY-226 attenuates plasma glucose elevations in the oral glucose tolerance test. KY-226 also increases pIR and phosphorylated Akt in the liver and femoral muscle. In high-fat diet-induced obese mice, the oral administration of KY-226 (30 and 60 mg/kg/day, 4 weeks) decreases body weight gain, food consumption, and fat volume gain with increases in phosphorylated STAT3 in the hypothalamus.[1]
[1] Yuma Ito, et al. J Pharmacol Sci. 2018 May;137(1):38-46.