Pterostilbene influences glycemia and lipidemia and enhances antioxidant status in the liver of rats that consumed sucrose solution.

AIMS: The present study investigated the potential effects of pterostilbene (PT) on glycemic and lipid profiles, fat storage, cardiovascular indices, and hepatic parameters of rats fed with sucrose solution. MAIN METHODS: 24 male Wistar rats received either drinking water or a 40% sucrose solution over a period of 140 days. After this period, animals were randomly allocated into four groups (n = 6): Control (C), C + Pterostilbene (PT), Sucrose (S), and S + PT. Pterostilbene (40 mg/kg) was given orally for 45 consecutive days. KEY FINDINGS: Pterostilbene did not influence morphometric and nutritional parameters. The insulin sensitivity index TyG was elevated in the C + PT group (p < 0.01) and reduced in S + PT group (p < 0.05). Basal glucose levels were lower in the S + PT group (p < 0.05), and the glycemic response was improved with PT treatment in glucose provocative tests. Conversely, rats from the C + PT group showed impaired glucose disposal during those tests. Lipid profile was partially improved by PT treatment. Hepatic oxidative stress in the S group was improved after PT treatment. In the C group, PT reduced SOD activity, glutathione levels, and increased catalase activity. Collagen content was reduced by PT treatment. SIGNIFICANCE: PT effects depends on the type of diet the animals were submitted. In rats fed with sucrose-solution, PT confirmed its positive effects, improving glucose and lipid profile, and acting as a potent antioxidant. The effects of PT on rats that consumed a normal diet were very discrete or even undesirable. We suggest caution with indiscriminate consume of natural compounds by healthy subjects.

Aerobic training induces differential expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism in skeletal muscle and white adipose tissues.

Aerobic training induces adaptive responses in skeletal muscles and white adipose tissues, thus facilitating lipid utilization as energy substrates during a physical exercise session. However, the effects of training on cytokines levels and on transcription factors involved in lipid metabolism in muscle and different white adipose depots are still unclear; therefore, these were the aims of the present study. Nineteen adult male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to a trained group or a control, non-trained group. The 10-week training protocol consisted of running on a treadmill, during 1 hour per day, 5 days per week, at 75% of maximum aerobic speed. As expected, trained rats improved their aerobic performance and had augmented citrate synthase activity in the soleus, while the control rats did not. Although body weight was not different between groups, the adiposity index and white adipose depots (ie, epididymal and retroperitoneal) were reduced in trained rats. Training reduced serum concentration of insulin, but failed to change serum concentrations of glucose, triacylglycerol, total cholesterol, and nonesterified fatty acids. Training increased sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c expression in the gastrocnemius and epididymal adipose tissue, and reduced peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) expression in most of the tissues analyzed. The expression of PPARα and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 increased in the gastrocnemius and mesenteric adipose tissue but reduced in epididymal adipose tissue. Triacylglycerol content and tribbles 3 expression reduced in the gastrocnemius of trained rats. Tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 were increased in all adipose depots evaluated. Collectively, our data indicate that the 10-week aerobic training changed gene expression to improve muscle oxidative metabolism and facilitate lipid degradation in adipose tissues. Our data also highlight the existence of adaptive responses that are distinct between the skeletal muscle and white adipose tissue and between different adipose depots.

Infusion of high concentration of lactate in perfused liver, simulating in vivo hyperlactatemia, prevents the reduction of gluconeogenesis in Walker-256 tumor-bearing rats.

Gluconeogenesis (GN) is increased in patients with cancer cachexia, but is reduced in liver perfusion of Walker-256 tumor-bearing cachectic rats (TB rats). The causes of these differences are unknown. We investigated the influence of circulating concentrations of lactate (NADH generator) and NADH on GN in perfused livers of TB rats. Lactate, at concentrations similar to those found on days 5 (3.0 mM), 8 (5.5 mM), and 12 (8.0 mM) of the tumor, prevented the reduction of GN from 2.0 mM lactate (lactatemia of healthy rat) in TB rats. NADH, 50 or 75 µM, but not 25 µM, increased GN from 2.0 mM lactate in TB rats to higher values than healthy rats. High concentrations of pyruvate (no NADH generator, 5.0 and 8.0 mM) did not prevent the reduction of GN from 2.0 mM pyruvate in TB rats. However, 50 or 75 µM NADH, but not 25 µM, increased GN from 2.0 mM pyruvate in TB rats to similar or higher values than healthy rats. High concentration of glutamine (NADH generator, 2.5 mM) or 50 µM NADH prevented the reduction of GN from 1 mM glutamine in TB rats. Intraperitoneal administration of pyruvate (1.0 mg/kg) or glutamine (0.5 mg/kg) similarly increased the glycemia of healthy and TB rats. In conclusion, high lactate concentration, similar to hyperlactatemia, prevented the reduction of GN in perfused livers of TB rats, an effect probably caused by the increased redox potential (NADH/NAD+ ). Thus, the decreased GN in livers from TB rats is due, at least in part, to the absence of simulation of in vivo hyperlactatemia in liver perfusion studies.

Increase in liver cytosolic lipases activities and VLDL-TAG secretion rate do not prevent the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in cafeteria diet-fed rats.

We have previously shown that the cafeteria diet increases body fat mass, plasma triacylglycerol (TAG) and insulin levels, glucose uptake by white and brown adipose tissues, as well as the sympathetic activity to both adipose tissues in Wistar rats. The metabolic pathways responsible for the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) were examined in cafeteria diet-fed rats. After 3 weeks offering cafeteria diet, we evaluated: (i) activity of the sympathetic nervous system by norepinephrine turnover rates; (ii) de novo fatty acid synthesis in vivo using 3H2O; (iii) secretion of very low density lipoprotein (VLDL)-TAG secretion measuring serum TAG levels after administration of lipase lipoprotein inhibitor, (iv) liver cytosolic lipases activities and (v) liver mRNA expression of enzymes involved in lipids secretion and oxidation by RT-PCR. The cafeteria diet induced an increase in TAG (120%) and cholesterol (30%) liver contents. Cafeteria diet did not change the sympathetic nervous system activity to liver, but induced a marked increase in the lipogenesis (approximately four-fold) and significant increase in cytosolic lipases activities (46%) and VLDL-TAG secretion (22%) compared to control diet-fed rats. The cafeteria diet also increased the microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (30%) and carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (130%) mRNA expression but decreased the apolipoprotein B100 (26%) mRNA expression. Our findings demonstrate that the increase in the cytosolic lipases activities and VLDL-TAG secretion rates were not able to compensate for the increased lipogenesis rates induced by the cafeteria diet, resulting in NAFLD.

Replacement of soybean oil by fish oil increases cytosolic lipases activities in liver and adipose tissue from rats fed a high-carbohydrate diets.

Several studies have demonstrated that fish oil consumption improves metabolic syndrome and comorbidities, as insulin resistance, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, dyslipidaemia and hypertension induced by high-fat diet ingestion. Previously, we demonstrated that administration of a fructose-rich diet to rats induces liver lipid accumulation, accompanied by a decrease in liver cytosolic lipases activities. In this study, the effect of replacement of soybean oil by fish oil in a high-fructose diet (FRUC, 60% fructose) for 8 weeks on lipid metabolism in liver and epididymal adipose tissue from rats was investigated. The interaction between fish oil and FRUC diet increased glucose tolerance and decreased serum levels of triacylglycerol (TAG), VLDL-TAG secretion and lipid droplet volume of hepatocytes. In addition, the fish oil supplementation increased the liver cytosolic lipases activities, independently of the type of carbohydrate ingested. Our results firmly establish the physiological regulation of liver cytosolic lipases to maintain lipid homeostasis in hepatocytes. In epididymal adipose tissue, the replacement of soybean oil by fish oil in FRUC diet did not change the tissue weight and lipoprotein lipase activity; however, there was increased basal and insulin-stimulated de novo lipogenesis and glucose uptake. Increased cytosolic lipases activities were observed, despite the decreased basal and isoproterenol-stimulated glycerol release to the incubation medium. These findings suggest that fish oil increases the glycerokinase activity and glycerol phosphorylation from endogenous TAG hydrolysis. Our findings are the first to show that the fish oil ingestion increases cytosolic lipases activities in liver and adipose tissue from rats treated with high-carbohydrate diets.

Long-term effects of angiotensin-(1-7) on lipid metabolism in the adipose tissue and liver.

The angiotensin (Ang) converting enzyme 2/Ang-(1-7)/Mas axis has been described to have a beneficial role on metabolic disorders. In the present study, the use of a transgenic rat model that chronically overexpresses Ang-(1-7) enabled us to investigate the chronic effects of this peptide on lipid accumulation in the liver and adipose tissue. The transgenic group showed a marked tendency toward increased expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) and decreased lipoprotein lipase (LPL) expression and activity in epididymal adipose tissue. We also showed that Mas receptor-knockout mice had decreased PPARγ expression in adipose tissue, accompanied by an increase in LPL activity. These results confirm the regulation of adipose tissue LPL activity by Ang-(1-7) and suggest that this occurs independent of PPARγ expression. The reduced adiposity index of transgenic rats, due to the effect of Ang-(1-7), was accompanied by a decrease in lipogenesis. These findings suggest a direct effect of Ang-(1-7) on lipogenesis, independent of the stimulatory effect of insulin. Furthermore, the decreased concentration of triacylglycerol in the liver of transgenic rats may result from increased activity of cytosolic lipases and decreased fatty acid uptake from the adipose tissue, determined from fatty acid-binding protein expression, and hepatic de novo fatty acid synthesis, evaluated by fatty acid synthase expression. The data clearly show that Ang-(1-7) regulates lipid metabolism in the adipose tissue and liver.

Differential modulation of cytosolic lipases activities in liver and adipose tissue by high-carbohydrate diets.

Several studies have demonstrated that a high-fructose (FRUC) diet induces metabolic and haemodynamic abnormalities, known as the metabolic syndrome, which are characterised by obesity, glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia and hypertension. In this study, the effect of a FRUC diet (60 % fructose) for 8 weeks on the metabolism of lipids in liver and epididymal adipose tissue from Wistar rats was compared with the AIN-93M diet and the effects of the AIN-93M diet were compared with a chow diet. The FRUC diet induced marked increases in both hepatocyte lipid droplet volume and postprandial serum levels of triacylglycerol (TAG), but reduced the postprandial serum levels of insulin. The AIN-93M diet induced marked increases in the hepatocyte lipid droplet volume and the serum levels of insulin, without affecting the serum levels of TAG. We found that isocaloric substitution of cornstarch, dextrinised cornstarch and sucrose (AIN-93M diet) for fructose did not affect the hepatic VLDL-TAG secretion and adipose tissue glucose uptake, lipolysis and cytosolic lipases activities in rats. However, the high-fructose diet induced a severe steatosis in liver accompanied by a decrease in cytosolic lipases activities. In adipose tissue, the FRUC diet induced a decrease in the lipoprotein lipase activity, and an increase in lipogenesis. FRUC and AIN-93M diets induced changes in lipid homeostasis in liver and adipose tissue by distinct biochemical mechanisms.

Tumor necrosis factor alpha abolished the suppressive effect of insulin on hepatic glucose production and glycogenolysis stimulated by cAMP.

BACKGROUND: Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) is implicated in the development of insulin resistance in obesity, type 2 diabetes and cancer. However, its ability to modulate the action of insulin on glycogen catabolism in the liver is controversial. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether TNFα acutely affects the suppression by insulin of hepatic glucose production (HGP) and glycogenolysis stimulated by cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). METHODS: TNFα (10 µg/kg) was injected intravenously to rats and, 1 or 6h later, their livers were subjected to in situ perfusion with cAMP (3 µM), in the presence or absence of physiological (20 µU/mL) or supraphysiological (500 µU/mL) concentrations of insulin. RESULTS: The injection of TNFα, 1 or 6h before liver perfusion, had no direct effect on the action of cAMP in stimulating HGP and glycogenolysis. However, when TNFα was injected 1h, but not 6h, before liver perfusion it completely abolished (p<0.05) the suppressive effect of 20 µU/mL insulin on HGP and glycogenolysis stimulated by cAMP. Furthermore, the injection of TNFα 1h or 6h before liver perfusion did not influence the suppression of cAMP-stimulated HGP and glycogenolysis by 500 µU/mL insulin. CONCLUSION: TNFα acutely abolished the suppressive effect of physiological, but not supraphysiological, levels of insulin on HGP and glycogenolysis stimulated by cAMP, suggesting an important role of this mechanism to the increased HGP in several pathological states.

Changes in liver gluconeogenesis during the development of Walker-256 tumour in rats.

Few studies have investigated liver gluconeogenesis in cancer and there is no agreement as to whether the activity of this pathway is increased or decreased in this disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate gluconeogenesis from alanine, pyruvate and glycerol, and related metabolic parameters in perfused liver from Walker-256 tumour-bearing rats on days 5 (WK5 group), 8 (WK8 group) and 12 (WK12 group) of tumour development. There was reduction (P < 0.05) of liver glucose production from alanine and pyruvate in WK5, WK8 and WK12 groups, which was accompanied by a decrease (P < 0.05) in oxygen consumption. Moreover, there was higher (P < 0.05) pyruvate and lactate production from alanine in the WK5 group and a marked reduction (P < 0.05) of pyruvate and urea production from alanine in the WK12 group. In addition, liver glucose production and oxygen consumption from glycerol were not reduced in WK5, WK8 and WK12 groups. Thus the, the results show inhibition of hepatic gluconeogenesis from alanine and pyruvate, but not from glycerol, on days 5, 8 and 12 of Walker-256 tumour development, which can be attributed to the metabolic step in which the substrate enters the gluconeogenic pathway.

Inhibitory effect of tumor necrosis factor α on gluconeogenesis in perfused rat liver.

Tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) is a cytokine involved in many metabolic responses in both normal and pathological states. Considering that the effects of TNFα on hepatic gluconeogenesis are inconclusive, we investigated the influence of this cytokine in gluconeogenesis from various glucose precursors. TNFα (10 µg/kg) was intravenously injected in rats; 6 h later, gluconeogenesis from alanine, lactate, glutamine, glycerol, and several related metabolic parameters were evaluated in situ perfused liver. TNFα reduced the hepatic glucose production (p < 0.001), increased the pyruvate production (p < 0.01), and had no effect on the lactate and urea production from alanine. TNFα also reduced the glucose production (p < 0.01), but had no effect on the pyruvate production from lactate. In addition, TNFα did not alter the hepatic glucose production from glutamine nor from glycerol. It can be concluded that the TNFα inhibited hepatic gluconeogenesis from alanine and lactate, which enter in gluconeogenic pathway before the pyruvate carboxylase step, but not from glutamine and glycerol, which enter in this pathway after the pyruvate carboxylase step, suggesting an important role of this metabolic step in the changes mediated by TNFα.

Decreased response to cAMP in the glucose and glycogen catabolism in perfused livers of Walker-256 tumor-bearing rats.

The hepatic response to cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and N6-monobutyryl-cAMP (N6-MB-cAMP) in the glucose and glycogen catabolism and hepatic glycogen levels were evaluated in Walker-256 tumor-bearing rats, on days 5 (WK5), 8 (WK8), and 11 (WK11) after the implantation of tumor. Rats without tumor fed ad libitum (fed control rats) or that received the same daily amount of food ingested by anorexics tumor-bearing rats (pair-fed control rats) or 24 h fasted (fasted control rats) were used as controls. Glucose and glycogen catabolism were measured in perfused liver. Hepatic glycogen levels were lower (p < 0.05) in WK5, WK8, and WK11 rats in comparison with fed control rats, but not in relation to the pair-fed control rats. However, the stimulatory effect of cAMP (3 and 9 µM) in the glycogen catabolism was lower (p < 0.05), respectively, in WK5 and WK8 rats compared to the pair-fed and fed control rats. Accordingly, the suppressive effect of cAMP (6 µM) in the glucose catabolism, under condition of depletion of hepatic glycogen (24 h fast), was lower (p < 0.05) in WK5 and WK11 rats than in fasted control rats. Similarly, the suppressive effect of N6-MB-cAMP (1 µM), a synthetic analogue of cAMP that it is not degraded by phosphodiesterase 3B (PDE3B), in the glucose catabolism was lower (p < 0.05) in WK5 rats compared to fasted control rats. In conclusion, livers of Walker-256 tumor-bearing rats showed lower response to cAMP in the glucose and glycogen catabolism in various stages of tumor development (days 5, 8 and 11), which was probably not due to the lower hepatic glycogen levels nor due to the increased activity of PDE3B.

Changes in blood metabolic parameters during the development of Walker-256 tumour-induced cachexia in rats are not caused by decreased food intake.

Blood metabolic parameters of Walker-256 tumour-bearing rats, on days 5, 8, 11 and 14 after implantation of tumour, were compared with those of rats without tumour fed ad libitum (free-fed control) or with reduced feeding (pair-fed control), similar to the anorexic tumour-bearing rats. Cachexia parameters and tumour mass also were investigated. In general, especially on day 14 after implantation of tumour, there was reduction of body mass, gastrocnemius muscle mass, food intake and glycemia and increase of blood triacylglycerol, free fatty acids, lactate and urea, compared with free-fed controls rats. These changes did not occur in pair-fed control, except a slight reduction of glycemia. Pair-fed control showed no significant changes in blood cholesterol and glycerol in comparison with free-fed control, although there was reduction of cholesterol and increase of blood glycerol on day 14 after tumour implantation compared with pair-fed control. The results demonstrate that, besides the characteristic signs of the cachexia syndrome such as anorexia, weight loss and muscle catabolism, Walker-256 tumour-bearing rats show several blood metabolic alterations, some of which begin as early as day 5 after implantation of tumour, and are accentuated during the development of cachexia. Evidence that the alterations of blood metabolic parameters of tumour-bearing rats were not found in pair-fed control indicate that they were not caused by decreased food intake. These changes were probably mediated by factors produced by tumour or host tissue in response to the presence of tumour.

Avaliação da toxicidade e da teratogenicidade do femproporex em fetos de camundongos provenientes de pais expostos à droga durante a vida intra-uterina / Toxicity and teratogenicity evaluation of femproporex in mice fetuses descending from parents that were exposed to this drug during intrauterine life

Femproporex é um anorexígeno que se transforma em anfetamina no organismo. O uso de compostos anfetamínicos durante a gravidez aumenta o risco de exencefalia, de fenda palatina e de malformações cardíacas. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o desenvolvimento embriofetal, a embriotoxicidade e possíveis efeitos teratogênicos em fetos de camundongos provenientes de pais que foram expostos ao femproporex durante o desenvolvimento intra-uterino. As fêmeas prenhes foram tratadas diariamente, via gavage, com 15 mg/kg de femproporex, durante toda a gestação. Quando as progênies atingiram a idade adulta, foram acasaladas com camundongos íntegros, obtendo-se a 2ª geração. No 18º dia de prenhez, as fêmeas foram mortas. Observou-se que o femproporex não alterou significativamente o peso da placenta, o comprimento dos fetos, a taxa de perda pós-implantação, a análise visceral e a esquelética. Isso pode ter ocorrido devido à diminuição dos efeitos da anfetamina na 2ª geração. Porém, houve diferença estatisticamente significativa em relação ao peso dos fetos. A redução do peso fetal é usada como parâmetro para evidenciar efeitos tóxicos de uma substância. Portanto, os resultados sugerem que o femproporex apresentou toxicidade fetal nas condições experimentais testadas.

Fenproporex is an anorectic drug that is transformed into amphetamine in the organism. The use of amphetaminic compounds during pregnancy increases the risk of exencephaly, cleft palate and cardiac malformations. The aim of this study was to evaluate embryo-fetal development, embryotoxicity and possible teratogenic effects in mice fetuses descending from parents that were exposed to fenproporex during intra-uterine development. Pregnant females were treated daily, by gavage, with 15 mg/kg of femproporex during all the gestation. When the off springs reached the adult age, they were mated with integral mice, obtaining the 2nd generation. On the 18th gestational day, female mice were killed. It was observed that femproporex did not alter significantly placent weight, fetuses length, rate of post implantation loss, visceral and skeletal analysis. This may have occurred due to the decrease of the amphetamine effects on the 2nd generation. However, there was statistically significant difference inrelation to the fetuses weight. The reduction of fetal weight is used as parameter to evidence toxic effects of a substance. There fore, the results suggest that femproporex presented fetal toxicity in the tested experimental conditions.