Gene expression profiling during hibernation in the European hamster.

Hibernation is an exceptional physiological response to a hostile environment, characterized by a seasonal period of torpor cycles involving dramatic reductions of body temperature and metabolism, and arousal back to normothermia. As the mechanisms regulating hibernation are still poorly understood, here we analysed the expression of genes involved in energy homeostasis, torpor regulation, and daily or seasonal timing using digital droplet PCR in various central and peripheral tissues sampled at different stages of torpor/arousal cycles in the European hamster. During torpor, the hypothalamus exhibited strongly down-regulated gene expression, suggesting that hypothalamic functions were reduced during this period of low metabolic activity. During both torpor and arousal, many structures (notably the brown adipose tissue) exhibited altered expression of deiodinases, potentially leading to reduced tissular triiodothyronine availability. During the arousal phase, all analysed tissues showed increased expression of the core clock genes Per1 and Per2. Overall, our data indicated that the hypothalamus and brown adipose tissue were the tissues most affected during the torpor/arousal cycle, and that clock genes may play critical roles in resetting the body's clocks at the beginning of the active period.

High-throughput screening for GPR119 modulators identifies a novel compound with anti-diabetic efficacy in db/db mice.

G protein-coupled receptor 119 (GPR119) is highly expressed in pancreatic ß cells and enteroendocrine cells. It is involved in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) release, thereby representing a promising target for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Although a number of GPR119 agonists were developed, no positive allosteric modulator (PAM) to this receptor has been reported. Here we describe a high-throughput assay for screening GPR119 PAMs and agonists simultaneously. Following screening of a small molecule compound library containing 312,000 synthetic and natural product-derived samples, one potent GPR119 agonist with novel chemical structure, MW1219, was identified. Exposure of MIN6 and GLUTag cells to MW1219 enhanced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and GLP-1 release; once-daily oral dosing of MW1219 for 6 weeks in diabetic db/db mice reduced hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and improved plasma glucose, insulin and GLP-1 levels; it also increased glucose tolerance. The results demonstrate that MW1219 is capable of effectively controlling blood glucose level and may have the potential to be developed as a new class of anti-diabetic agents.

Cytotoxic pentacyclic triterpenoids from Combretum sundaicum and Lantana camara as inhibitors of Bcl-xL/BakBH3 domain peptide interaction.

In an effort to discover potent inhibitors of the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-xL, a systematic in vitro evaluation was undertaken on extracts prepared from various parts of Vietnamese plants. The ethyl acetate extracts obtained from the leaves and flowers of Combretum sundaicum and the leaves of Lantana camara were selected for their interaction with the Bcl-xL/Bak association. Bioassay-guided purification of these species led to the isolation of 15 pentacyclic triterpenoids (1-15) possessing olean-12-en-28-oic acid and olean-12-en-29-oic acid aglycons, of which compounds 1-6 and 8-10 are new. Five compounds exhibited binding activity with K(i) values between 5.3 and 17.8 microM. The cytotoxic activity of 1-15 was also evaluated on various cancer cell lines.

A Dimeric sesquiterpenoid from a Malaysian Meiogyne as a new inhibitor of Bcl-xL/BakBH3 domain peptide interaction.

In an effort to find potent inhibitors of the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-xL, a systematic in vitro evaluation was undertaken on 1470 Malaysian plant extracts. The ethyl acetate extract obtained from the bark of Meiogyne cylindrocarpa was selected for its interaction with the Bcl-xL/Bak association. Bioassay-guided purification of this species led to the isolation of two new dimeric sesquiterpenoids (1 and 2) possessing an unprecedented substituted cis-decalin carbon skeleton. Meiogynin A (1) showed the strongest activity with a K(i) of 10.8 +/- 3.1 microM.