LEP and obesity due to melanocortin 4 receptor deficiency: Recent studies have demonstrated that ITA, as an endogenous metabolite, can alleviate high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity by activating BAT-mediated thermogenesis, enhancing fatty acid β-oxidation, and suppressing de novo lipogenesis in BAT, while improving glucose tolerance and dyslipidemia through leptin-independent mechanisms [12].