ABSTRACT
A water-soluble polysaccharide (EP) was purified from edible algae Enteromorpha prolifera. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC), ion chromatography (IC), and fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) were performed to characterize its structure. EP was defined as a low molecular weight (6625 Da) composed of rhamnose, glucose, glucuronic acid, xylose, galactose, arabinose, and mannose. Moreover, it was a sulfated polysaccharide with a degree of substitution (DS) of 1.48. Then, the high-fat diet/streptozotocin (HFD/STZ) induced diabetic mouse model was established to support evidence for a novel hypoglycemic mechanism. Results showed that blood glucose (47.32%), liver index (7.65%), epididymal fat index (16.86%), serum total cholesterol (26.78%) and triglyceride (37.61%) in the high-dose EP (HEP) group were significantly lower than those in the HFD group. Noticeably, the content of liver glycogen in the HEP group was significantly higher (62.62%) than that in the HFD group, indicating the promotion of glycogen synthesis. These beneficial effects were attributed to significantly increased protein kinase B (AKT) phosphorylation and its downstream signaling response. Further studies showed that diabetic mice exhibited excessive O-GlcNAcylation level and high expression of O-linked ß-D-N-acetylglucosamine transferase (OGT), which were decreased by 62.21 and 30.43% in the HEP group. This result suggested that EP had a similar effect to OGT inhibitors, which restored AKT phosphorylation and prevented pathoglycemia. This work reveals a novel hypoglycemic mechanism of EP, providing a theoretical basis for further studies on its pharmacological properties in improvement of T2DM.
Subject(s)
Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 , Edible Seaweeds , Ulva , Animals , Mice , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/prevention & control , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt , Sulfates , Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/drug therapy , Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared , Hypoglycemic Agents/pharmacology , Polysaccharides/pharmacologyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To compare the differences in microbial community between lactating mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus(GDM) and normal glucose tolerance lactating mothers(control) at 42 days postpartum, and to explore the effect of GDM on the microbial composition and structure of breast milk. METHODS: A total of 21 mothers with GDM and 25 healthy mothers in Fuqing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital at 42 days postpartum from May 2019 to September 2020 were enrolled. A questionnaire was used to collect the basic information and dietary intakes of mothers. The mother's milk was collected by using a sterile electric breast pump. Breast milk microbiota profiles were assessed by 16 S rDNA gene amplicon based sequencing of the V3-V4 region and the sequencing platform was Illumina Miseq PE3000, bioinformatics analysis was performed on the sequencing result. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the mothers in the GDM group consumed more vegetables(222.7(190.6, 333.1)g/d vs.176.4(49.5, 247.0)g/d, P=0.042). There was no significant difference in Alpha diversity between the two groups(P>0.05). Beta diversity analysis showed that there were significant differences in the microbial composition between the two groups(P<0.01). Breast milk microbiota species difference analysis showed that there were differences in several species between GDM group and NGT group at the levels from phylum to genus. Compared with control group, the relative abundance of Bacteroidota and Cyanobacteria in GDM group decreased significantly [(3.41±2.59)% vs. (1.23±0.82)%, (1.08±3.02)% vs. (0.10±0.11)%, P<0.05]. In the GDM group, Ralstonia, Rhodococcus, Burkholderia-Caballeronia-Paraburkholderia, Acinetobacter and Fluviicola were decreased((38.93±28.85)% vs. (26.70±28.37)%, (9.23±6.87)% vs. (4.88±6.03)%, (7.66±4.80)% vs. (2.77±1.33)%, (6.18±11.90)% vs. (2.76±6.10)%, (1.21±1.31)% vs. (0.33±0.62)%, P<0.05). The unclassified_f__xanthobacteraceae was increased, and the difference was statistically significant((0.85±3.15)% vs. (23.64±23.63)%, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: There are differences in breast milk microbial community structure in women with different glucose tolerance at 42 days postpartum, Ralstonia, Rhodococcus, Burkholderia-Caballeronia-Paraburkholderia, Acinetobacter and Fluviicola were significantly lower comparing to the normal glucose tolerance mothers.
Subject(s)
Diabetes, Gestational , Microbiota , Child , Humans , Pregnancy , Female , Milk, Human/chemistry , Mothers , Lactation , Postpartum Period , GlucoseABSTRACT
The aim of current study was to investigate the metabolic changes associated with histidine supplementation in serum and urine metabolic signatures and serum amino acid (AA) profiles. Serum and urine 1H NMR-based metabolomics and serum AA profiles were employed in 32 and 37 obese women with metabolic syndrome (MetS) intervened with placebo or histidine for 12 weeks. Multivariable statistical analysis were conducted to define characteristic metabolites. In serum 1H NMR metabolic profiles, increases in histidine, glutamine, aspartate, glycine, choline, and trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) were observed; meanwhile, decreases in cholesterol, triglycerides, fatty acids and unsaturated lipids, acetone, and α/ß-glucose were exhibited after histidine supplement. In urine 1H NMR metabolic profiles, citrate, creatinine/creatine, methylguanidine, and betaine + TMAO were higher, while hippurate was lower in histidine supplement group. In serum AA profiles, 10 AAs changed after histidine supplementation, including increased histidine, glycine, alanine, lysine, asparagine, and tyrosine and decreased leucine, isoleucine, ornithine, and citrulline. The study showed a systemic metabolic response in serum and urine metabolomics and AA profiles to histidine supplementation, showing significantly changed metabolism in AAs, lipid, and glucose in obese women with MetS.
Subject(s)
Histidine/pharmacology , Metabolome/drug effects , Adult , Amino Acids/blood , Amino Acids/drug effects , Amino Acids/metabolism , Blood Glucose/drug effects , Blood Glucose/metabolism , Dietary Supplements , Female , Histidine/administration & dosage , Humans , Lipid Metabolism/drug effects , Metabolic Syndrome/drug therapy , Metabolic Syndrome/metabolism , Middle Aged , Obesity/metabolism , Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy , Serum/chemistry , Urine/chemistryABSTRACT
As consumption of tea has been confirmed as a protective factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), it would be interesting to know if T2DM patients could benefit from tea. Because of small sample sizes and inconsistent results of previous studies, we performed this meta-analysis to reevaluate the effects of tea or tea extract on all available outcomes in patients with T2DM. We systematically searched electronic databases of PubMed, Cochrane Library and EMBASE to identify randomized controlled trials of tea in T2DM patients up to January 2015. Weight mean differences for the changes in all outcomes were pooled by Review Manager 5.2 (Cochrane Collaboration, Oxford, England). A total of ten trials including 608 subjects were identified. The meta-analysis found that tea could alleviate the decrease of fasting blood insulin [1.30 U/L, 95% CI (0.36, 2.24)], and reduced waist circumference only in more than 8-week intervention [-2.70 cm, 95% CI (-4.72, -0.69)], whereas there were no statistically significant differences with regard to homeostasis model of insulin resistance 0.38 (-0.18, 0.95), fasting blood glucose -0.05 mmol/L (-0.51, 0.40), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol 0.07 mmol/L (-0.15, 0.29), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol 0.01 mmol/L (-0.08, 0.09), body mass index -0.15 kg/m(2) (-0.50, 0.21), SBP 0.35 mmHg (-3.54, 4.24), DBP -1.02 mmHg (-3.53, 1.48), triglycerides -0.11 mmol/L (-0.28, 0.05) and fasting cholesterol -0.05 mmol/L (-0.20, 0.11) in patients with T2DM, and leptin, ADPN, CRE and UA were also non-significant. The intervention of tea or tea extraction could maintain a stable fasting blood insulin and reduce waist circumference in the T2DM patients; however, the effects on other outcomes were not significant. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Subject(s)
Appetite Regulation , Camellia sinensis/chemistry , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/diet therapy , Dietary Supplements , Overweight/diet therapy , Plant Extracts/therapeutic use , Tea , Appetite Depressants/therapeutic use , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/blood , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/complications , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/metabolism , Diet, Diabetic , Diet, Reducing , Glycated Hemoglobin/analysis , Humans , Hyperglycemia/prevention & control , Hyperlipidemias/complications , Hyperlipidemias/prevention & control , Hypoglycemic Agents/therapeutic use , Insulin Resistance , Overweight/blood , Overweight/complications , Overweight/metabolism , Plant Leaves/chemistry , Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic , Waist Circumference , Weight LossABSTRACT
Camellia seed oil (CO) has high nutritional value and multiple bioactivities. However, the specific anti-fatigue characteristics and the implied mechanism of CO have not yet been fully elucidated. Throughout this investigation, male C57BL/6J mice, aged 8 weeks, underwent exhaustive exercise with or without CO pretreatment (2, 4, and 6 mL/kg BW) for 28 days. CO could extend the rota-rod and running time, reduce blood urea nitrogen levels and serum lactic acid, and increase muscle and hepatic glycogen, adenosine triphosphate, and anti-oxidative indicators. Additionally, CO could upregulate the mRNA and Nrf2 protein expression levels, as well as enhance the levels of its downstream antioxidant enzymes and induce the myofiber-type transformation from fast to slow and attenuate the gut mechanical barrier. Moreover, CO could ameliorate gut dysbiosis by reducing Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio at the phylum level, increasing the percentage of Alistipes, Alloprevotella, Lactobacillus, and Muribaculaceae, and decreasing the proportion of Dubosiella at the genus level. In addition, specific bacterial taxa, which were altered by CO, showed a significant correlation with partial fatigue-related parameters. These findings suggest that CO may alleviate fatigue by regulating antioxidant capacity, muscle fiber transformation, gut mechanical barrier, and gut microbial composition in mice. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Our study revealed that camellia seed oil (CO) could ameliorate exercise-induced fatigue in mice by modulating antioxidant capacity, muscle fiber, and gut microbial composition in mice. Our results promote the application of CO as an anti-fatigue functional food that targets oxidative stress, myofiber-type transformation, and microbial community.
Subject(s)
Camellia , Gastrointestinal Microbiome , Mice , Male , Animals , Antioxidants/pharmacology , Gastrointestinal Microbiome/genetics , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Fatigue/drug therapy , Fatigue/metabolism , Plant Oils/pharmacology , Bacteroidetes , Firmicutes , Muscle Fibers, SkeletalABSTRACT
The primary objective of this investigation was to explore the beneficial impacts of Enteromorpha prolifera polysaccharide (EP) on dysglycemia in Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats, while also shedding light on its potential mechanism using 1H-NMR-based metabolomics. The results demonstrated a noteworthy reduction in fasting blood glucose (FBG, 46.3%), fasting insulin (50.17%), glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c, 44.1%), and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR, 59.75%) following EP administration, while the insulin sensitivity index (ISI, 19.6%) and homeostatic model assessment of ß-cell function (HOMA-ß, 2.5-fold) were significantly increased. These findings indicate that EP enhances ß-cell function, increases insulin sensitivity, and improves insulin resistance caused by diabetes. Moreover, EP significantly reduced serum lipid levels, suggesting improvement of dyslipidemia. Through the analysis of serum metabolomics, 17 metabolites were found to be altered in diabetic rats, 14 of which were upregulated and 3 of which were downregulated. Notably, the administration of EP successfully reversed the abnormal levels of 9 out of the 17 metabolites. Pathway analysis further revealed that EP treatment partially restored metabolic dysfunction, with notable effects observed in valine, leucine, and isoleucine metabolism; aminoacyl-transfer RNA (tRNA) biosynthesis; and ketone body metabolism. These findings collectively indicate the potential therapeutic efficacy of EP in preventing glycemic abnormalities and improving insulin resistance. Thus, EP holds promise as a valuable treatment option for individuals with diabetes.
ABSTRACT
Although conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has been shown to have anti-obesity properties, the effect and mechanism of CLA in alleviating glycolipid metabolism disorders remains unclear. In this work, it was observed that rats fed a high-fat diet (HFD) had lower body weight and body fat levels after 9 weeks of low-dose and high-dose CLA interventions. The results of blood biochemical indices showed that CLA significantly reduced the levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting blood glucose and insulin. Additionally, high-dose CLA could restore the intestinal microbiota composition, including increasing the relative abundances of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing microbiota, such as Dubosiella, Faecalibaculum and Bifidobacterium; decreasing the relative abundances of Enterococcus and Ruminococcus_2; and increasing the content of SCFAs in feces and serum. Further analysis showed that high-dose CLA could increase the expression levels of Insr, Irs-2, Akt and Glut4 in the liver tissue of HFD-induced obese rats. Consistently, high dose of CLA could reversibly improve the downregulation of INSR, AKT, PI3K and GLUT4 protein expression caused by HFD and reverse the decline in AKT phosphorylation levels. Correlation clustering analysis with a heatmap showed that the changes in specific microbiota induced by high-dose CLA were correlated with changes in obesity-related indices and gene expression. The molecular docking analysis showed that the molecular docking of SCFAs with the IRS-2, AKT and GLUT4 proteins had high linking activity. The results supported that CLA can alleviate glycolipid metabolic imbalances associated with obesity by altering the intestinal microbiota to induce the production of SCFAs and thereby activate the INSR/IRS-2/AKT/GLUT4 pathway. This study supports CLA may be preferentially used by the intestinal microbiota of the host to promote its health.
Subject(s)
Gastrointestinal Microbiome , Linoleic Acids, Conjugated , Metabolic Diseases , Rats , Animals , Linoleic Acids, Conjugated/chemistry , Glycolipids , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt , Molecular Docking Simulation , Obesity/drug therapy , Obesity/metabolism , Fatty Acids, VolatileABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Obesity is closely associated with chronic diseases such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and dyslipidemia. We analyzed the optimal obesity index cut-off values for metabolic syndrome (MetS), and identified the obesity index that is more closely associated with these chronic diseases, in a population of northern Chinese. METHODS: We surveyed 8940 adults (age, 20-74 years) living in northern China for chronic diseases. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis, relative risk, and multivariate regression were used to develop an appropriate index and optimal cut-off values for MetS and obesity-related chronic diseases. RESULTS: Waist circumference (WC) and body mass index (BMI) were good markers for MetS, WC was a good marker for T2DM and dyslipidemia, and BMI was a good marker for hypertension. The optimal BMI cut-off value of MetS was 24 kg/m², and the optimal WC cut-offs were 86 cm and 78 cm in men and women, respectively. Relative risk regression models showed that BMI was associated with hypertension, T2DM, and hypertriglyceridemia and a higher prevalence ratio (PR) for hypertension: 2.35 (95% CI, 2.18-2.50). WC was associated with T2DM, hypertension, and hypertriglyceridemia, with PRs of 2.05 (1.63-2.55) for T2DM and 2.47 (2.04-2.85) for hypertriglyceridemia. In multivariate regression models, the standardized regression coefficients (SRCs) of BMI were greater for SBP and DBP, and the SRC of WC was greater for fasting blood glucose, 2-hour postload blood glucose, triglyceride, and total cholesterol. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis of a population of northern Chinese indicates that the optimal cut-off values for MetS are WCs of 86 cm in men and 78 cm in women and a BMI of 24 kg/m² in both sexes. BMI was strongly associated with hypertension, while WC was strongly associated with T2DM and dyslipidemia.
Subject(s)
Body Mass Index , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/epidemiology , Dyslipidemias/epidemiology , Hypertension/epidemiology , Waist Circumference , Adult , Aged , Anthropometry/methods , China/epidemiology , Female , Humans , Male , Metabolic Syndrome/epidemiology , Middle Aged , Multivariate Analysis , Obesity/complications , ROC Curve , Risk Factors , Young AdultABSTRACT
Calorie restriction (CR) is one of the most common approaches for obesity treatment, but whether resuming ad libitum feeding after CR in normal-weight mice can affect excessive weight regain remains poorly studied. To address this issue, male C57BL/6 mice were placed in three groups: a control group (n = 10), a group fed normal diet with 30% CR (n = 20); and a group fed a HF diet (n = 30). After four weeks, the CR group was fed either a normal diet (NDCR, n = 10) or a high-fat diet (HFCR, n = 10) for an additional eight weeks. At the end of the experiment, mice in the HF group ranked in the upper and lower thirds for weight gain were designated as obesity-prone (HFOP, n = 10) and obesity-resistant (HFOR, n = 10), respectively. CR delayed weight regain and visceral fat accumulation. Gut microbiota in the HFCR group were more similar to the HFOR group than the HFOP group, mainly due to reversion of the decreased level of Clostridiales induced by CR. Mediation analysis showed that Clostridiales may delay body weight regain by affecting the interconversion of succinate and fumarate. Random forest and structural equation analyses showed Christensenellaceae were the most important biomarker for alleviation of obesity. In conclusion, CR shapes an obesity-resistant-like gut microbiota profile that may attenuate body weight regain.
Subject(s)
Diet, High-Fat , Gastrointestinal Microbiome , Animals , Body Weight , Caloric Restriction , Diet, High-Fat/adverse effects , Follow-Up Studies , Ideal Body Weight , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Obesity , Weight GainABSTRACT
Polysaccharides from Enteromorpha prolifera (EP) possess multiple biological activities, while the role of EP in hypercholesterolemia and its relationship with the gut microbiota have not been elucidated. To address this issue, fifty male C57BL/6J mice were randomly subjected to a basal diet and a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet, and 3 treatment groups were fed an HFHC diet supplemented with different dosages of EP (100, 200 and 300 mg kg-1 day-1) for 12 weeks. Here we show that EP intervention lowered serum concentrations of total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and inhibited hepatic cholesterol deposition. EP intervention also upregulated the gene expression related to the hepatic cholesterol uptake and bile acid synthetic pathway. Apart from that, EP altered the gut microbiota, pre-dominantly increasing microbes associated with bile acid metabolism, such as norank_f_ Muribaculaceae. Moreover, bile acid profile analysis revealed that EP could alter the fecal bile acid profile and reduce fecal conjugated bile acids. Further correlation analysis indicated the negative correlation of Bacteroides, norank_f_ Muribaculaceae and Ileibacterium abundance with the levels of fecal conjugated bile acids and serum TC and LDL-C, while the abundance of Proteobacteria and Lachnoclosteridium showed a positive association with conjugated bile acids and serum TC. To sum up, the above findings revealed that EP may alleviate hypercholesterolemia and regulate cholesterol metabolism in ways that promote a favorable fecal microbiota composition and modulate bile acid metabolism.
Subject(s)
Gastrointestinal Microbiome , Hypercholesterolemia , Male , Mice , Animals , Gastrointestinal Microbiome/physiology , Cholesterol, LDL/metabolism , Cholesterol/metabolism , Diet, High-Fat/adverse effects , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Lipid Metabolism , Bile Acids and Salts/metabolism , Polysaccharides , Liver/metabolismABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To provide a basis for establishing better animal models with hyperlipidemia by comparing the effects of two different high-fat diets on blood lipids of rats. METHODS: 30 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 3 groups (10 rats in each group) , including normal control group (NC), high fat formula diet group I (HFFD I) and high fat formula diet group II (HFFD II). NC group was fed a stock rodent diet, the HFFD I and HFFD II were fed with different high-fat formulae diets. Animals were weighted weekly and blood lipids were determined every two weeks. The experiment lasted for 6 weeks. RESULTS: By the end of the experiment, serum total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in HFFD I group were 1.4 and 2.2 times higher than those of the NC group (P < 0.01). Serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was 22.2% lower than that of NC group. Serum triglyceride (TG) was not significantly different between HFFD I and NC group (P > 0.05). Serum TC and LDL-C of HFFD II group were 11.5 and 5.7 times respectively higher than those of the NC group (P < 0.01). Serum TG and HDL-C were 39.7% and 34.6% respectively lower than those of the NC group. CONCLUSION: Animal models with hypercholesteremia can be successfully established by the two methods, but the serum TG level of the rats can not be significantly elevated.
Subject(s)
Diet, High-Fat/adverse effects , Dietary Fats/administration & dosage , Disease Models, Animal , Hypercholesterolemia , Lipids/blood , Animals , Male , Rats , Rats, WistarABSTRACT
Enteromorpha prolifera polysaccharide (EP) has been shown to exhibit hypolipidemic and hypoglycemic activities in various experimental models. Here, an 1 H-NMR-based metabolomic study was conducted to explore the regulatory effects of EP on serum metabolic changes in obese hamsters. High-fat diet (HFD)-fed hamsters were orally administrated with EP (300, 450, or 600 mg/kg) once daily for 12 weeks. Compared with HFD-fed hamsters, EP treatment (450 and 600 mg/kg) significantly decreased the body weight (by 8.69 and 8.24%), liver weight (by 7.87 and 8.25%), epididymal white adipose tissue (by 19.54 and 17.26%), perirenal white adipose tissue (by 28.09 and 28.94%), serum total cholesterol (by 24.31 and 18.61%), triglyceride (by 30.64 and 31.38%), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (by 38.26 and 36.30%), respectively. In addition, EP intervention also significantly decreased hepatic cholesterol (by 23.20, 38.16, and 34.57%) and triglyceride content (by 17.78, 41.47, and 35.50%) as well as serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and ALT/aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ratio. The serum samples of normal diet (ND) group, HFD group and HFD + EP 450 mg/kg (HFD + MEP) group were further analyzed by 1 H-NMR spectroscopy. Compared with ND group, 17 and 2 metabolites were significantly upregulated and downregulated in HFD group, respectively. Interestingly, EP treatment significantly downregulated nine metabolites and upregulated one metabolite when compared to those in HFD group. Our results indicated that EP intervention partially ameliorated HFD-induced metabolic dysfunction, and the most prominent metabolic pathways included citrate cycle, synthesis and degradation of ketone bodies, pyruvate metabolism, valine, leucine and isoleucine degradation, and arginine biosynthesis. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Enteromorpha prolifera polysaccharide (EP), the main active component of Enteromorpha prolifera, is reported to have many biological activities. However, the antiobesity effect of EP and its corresponding metabolic mechanism have not been reported so far. The results of this study confirmed the antiobesity effect of EP on HFD-induced obese hamsters and elucidated its possible metabolic mechanism. Our study highlighted that EP might be used in weight-loss functional foods.
Subject(s)
Adipose Tissue , Diet, High-Fat , Animals , Cricetinae , Diet, High-Fat/adverse effects , Liver , Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy , Obesity/drug therapy , PolysaccharidesABSTRACT
To investigate whether polysaccharides from Enteromorpha prolifera (EPP) could protect against acute hepatic injury induced by CCl4, ICR mice were pretreated with EPP (150, 300, and 450 mg kg-1) and silymarin (100 mg kg-1) for 28 days before CCl4 induction. Pretreatment with EPP attenuated CCl4-induced elevated serum transaminase activities and histopathological alterations in the liver. In addition, EPP prevented CCl4-induced reduction of protein levels of phosphorylated nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (p-Nrf2)/Nrf2, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and mRNA levels of NADPH quinineoxidoreductase-1 (NQO-1), which, in turn, reduced hepatic oxidative stress injury. Furthermore, the hepatic protein levels of inflammatory mediators and the phosphorylation of nuclear factor-kappaB p65 (NF-κB p65) and I kappaB alpha (IκBα), and the mRNA levels of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), TLR4, and prolyl-isomerase-1 (Pin-1) in the inflammatory signaling pathway were recovered in the EPP pretreated groups. Moreover, EPP prevented the hepatocellular apoptotic changes with inhibition of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), and the induction of Bcl-2-associated X (Bax) and Cleaved caspase-3 caused by CCl4. Taken together, these results indicated that EPP protected against hepatic injury induced by CCl4-derived reactive intermediates through the activation of Nrf2/HO-1 signaling, and suppression of oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis.
Subject(s)
Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury/prevention & control , Chlorophyta , Polysaccharides/pharmacology , Animals , Apoptosis/drug effects , Carbon Tetrachloride , Disease Models, Animal , Heme Oxygenase-1/metabolism , Inflammation/metabolism , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred ICR , NF-E2-Related Factor 2/metabolism , Oxidative Stress/drug effects , Polysaccharides/therapeutic use , Random Allocation , Signal Transduction/drug effectsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Gout is a metabolic disease and is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis affecting men. However, the pathogenesis of gout is still uncertain, and novel biomarkers are needed for early prediction and diagnosis of gout. The aim of this study was to develop a systemic metabolic profile of patients with asymptomatic hyperuricemia (HUA) and gout by using a metabolomics approach, and find potential pathophysiological mechanisms of and markers of predisposition to gout. METHODS: Serum samples were collected from 149 subjects, including 50 patients with HUA, 49 patients with gout and 50 healthy controls. 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy combined with principal components analysis and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis were used to distinguish between samples from patients and healthy controls. Clinical measurements and pathway analysis were also performed to contribute to understanding of the metabolic change. RESULTS: By serum metabolic profiling, 21 metabolites including lipids and amino acids were significantly altered in patients with HUA or gout. The levels of identified biomarkers together with clinical data showed apparent alteration trends in patients with HUA or gout compared to healthy individuals. According to pathway analysis, three and five metabolic pathways were remarkably perturbed in patients with HUA or gout, respectively. These enriched pathways involve in lipid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, amino acids metabolism and energy metabolism. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, we identified the biomarker signature for HUA and gout, which provides biochemical insights into the metabolic alteration, and identified a continuous progressive axis of development from HUA to gout.
Subject(s)
Disease Progression , Gout/blood , Hyperuricemia/blood , Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy/methods , Metabolomics/methods , Adult , Biomarkers/blood , Female , Gout/diagnosis , Humans , Hyperuricemia/diagnosis , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
It has been demonstrated that mangiferin can ameliorate hypertriglyceridemia by modulating the expression levels of genes involved in lipid metabolism in animal experiments, but its effects on the serum metabolic fingerprinting of hyperlipidemia animal models have not been reported. Thus, a NMR-based metabolomics approach was conducted to explore the effects of mangiferin on hyperlipidemia hamsters and to gain a better understanding of the involved metabolic pathways. Hamsters fed with a high-fat diet were orally administered with mangiferin 150 mg per kg BW once a day for 8 weeks. Serum samples were analysed by 1H NMR, and multivariate statistical analysis was applied to the data to identify potential biomarkers. In total, 20 discriminating metabolites were identified. It turned out that mangiferin administration can partly reverse the metabolism disorders induced by a high-fat diet and exerted a good anti-hypertriglyceridemia effect. Mangiferin ameliorated hyperlipidemia by intervening in some major metabolic pathways, involving glycolysis, the TCA cycle, synthesis of ketone bodies, and BCAAs as well as choline and lipid metabolism. These findings provided new essential information on the effects of mangiferin and demonstrated the great potential of this nutrimetabolomics approach.
Subject(s)
Diet, High-Fat/adverse effects , Hyperlipidemias/drug therapy , Metabolomics/methods , Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy/methods , Xanthones/administration & dosage , Animals , Biomarkers/blood , Biomarkers/chemistry , Cricetinae , Humans , Hyperlipidemias/metabolism , Lipid Metabolism/drug effects , Liver/chemistry , Liver/metabolism , Male , MesocricetusABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a main liver disease around the world, is closely associated with insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and other metabolic diseases. The objective of this study is to identify distinct metabolites of NAFLD patients with or without T2DM. DESIGN AND METHODS: We used a biomarker-discovery population to find distinct metabolites of NAFLD patients with or without T2DM. Then, a validation population was applied to test the model of the biomarker-discovery population. All the individuals received anthropometric and common biochemical measurements. The metabolic data were analyzed by multivariable statistical analyses using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight-tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS: There were 7, 7, 2 metabolites in the positive electrospray ionization (ESI(+)) mode, which were identified between groups from both the biomarker-discovery and validation population. The NAFLD group showed higher concentrations of oleamide, l-phenylalanine, l-proline, bilirubin, l-palmitoylcarnitine, and PC (20:5) and a lower concentration of Lyso-PAF C-18 than those of control. Compared with the control group, the NAFLD+T2DM group displayed higher oleamide, l-leucine, LysoPC (14:0), bilirubin, tetradecenoylcarnitine, linoleyl carnitine, and tetradecadiencarnitine in serum. Tetradecenoylcarnitine and tetradecadiencarnitine were more elevated in patients with NAFLD+T2DM than in the NAFLD group. CONCLUSIONS: Serum metabonomic analyses displayed great metabolic changes in patients with NAFLD and NAFLD plus T2DM. Our study is beneficial in providing a further view into the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of NAFLD and NAFLD plus T2DM, which might be useful for the prevention and therapy of NAFLD and NAFLD plus T2DM.
Subject(s)
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/blood , Metabolomics , Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/blood , Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization/methods , Adult , Aged , Humans , Middle AgedABSTRACT
Obesity is the result of a positive energy balance and often leads to difficulties in maintaining normal postprandial metabolism. The changes in postprandial metabolites after an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in young obese Chinese men are unclear. In this work, the aim is to investigate the complex metabolic alterations in obesity provoked by an OGTT using targeted metabolomics. We used gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and ultra high performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry to analyze serum fatty acids, amino acids and biogenic amines profiles from 15 control and 15 obese subjects at 0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 min during an OGTT. Metabolite profiles from 30 obese subjects as independent samples were detected in order to validate the change of metabolites. There were the decreased levels of fatty acid, amino acids and biogenic amines after OGTT in obesity. At 120 min, percent change of 20 metabolites in obesity has statistical significance when comparing with the controls. The obese parameters was positively associated with changes in arginine and histidine (P<0.05) and the postprandial change in palmitic acid (PA), branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and phenylalanine between 1 and 120 min were positively associated with fasting insulin and HOMA-IR (all P<0.05) in the obese group. The postprandial metabolite of PA and BCAAs may play important role in the development and onset of insulin resistance in obesity. Our findings offer new insights in the complex physiological regulation of the metabolism during an OGTT in obesity.
Subject(s)
Amino Acids, Branched-Chain/blood , Energy Metabolism/physiology , Fasting/blood , Insulin Resistance/physiology , Obesity/blood , Palmitic Acid/blood , Adolescent , Adult , Female , Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry , Glucose Tolerance Test , Humans , Insulin/blood , Male , Middle Aged , Obesity/complications , Postprandial Period , Young AdultABSTRACT
SCOPE: Ursolic acid (UA) is a triterpenoid compound with multifold biological functions. Our previous studies have reported that UA protects against high-fat diet-induced obesity and improves insulin resistance (IR). However, the potential mechanisms are still undefined. Free fatty acid (FFA) metabolism in skeletal muscle plays a central role in obesity and IR. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effect and the potential mechanisms of UA on skeletal muscle FFA metabolism. METHODS AND RESULTS: In diet-induced obese rats, 0.5% UA supplementation for 6 weeks markedly reduced body weight, increased energy expenditure, decreased FFA level in serum and skeletal muscle and triglyceride content in skeletal muscle. In vitro, the data provided directly evidence that UA significantly increased fluorescently labeled FFA uptake and (3) H-labeled palmitic acid ß-oxidation. UA-activated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and downstream targets were involved in the increase of FFA catabolism. Moreover, upregulated uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3) by UA contributed to AMPK activation via elevating adenosine monophosphate/adenosine triphosphate ratio. CONCLUSION: UA increases FFA burning through enhancing skeletal muscle FFA uptake and ß-oxidation via an UCP3/AMPK-dependent pathway, which provides a novel perspective on the biological function of UA against obesity and IR.
Subject(s)
Anti-Obesity Agents/therapeutic use , Dietary Supplements , Energy Metabolism , Fatty Acids, Nonesterified/metabolism , Ion Channels/agonists , Mitochondrial Proteins/agonists , Muscle, Skeletal/metabolism , Triterpenes/therapeutic use , AMP-Activated Protein Kinases/antagonists & inhibitors , AMP-Activated Protein Kinases/genetics , AMP-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism , Absorption, Physiological , Animals , Cell Line , Diet, High-Fat/adverse effects , Fatty Acids, Nonesterified/blood , Ion Channels/antagonists & inhibitors , Ion Channels/genetics , Ion Channels/metabolism , Male , Mice , Mitochondrial Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors , Mitochondrial Proteins/genetics , Mitochondrial Proteins/metabolism , Muscle, Skeletal/enzymology , Obesity/blood , Obesity/diet therapy , Obesity/etiology , Obesity/metabolism , RNA Interference , Random Allocation , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Second Messenger Systems , Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms , Uncoupling Protein 3 , Ursolic AcidABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most prevalent liver diseases around the world, and is closely associated with obesity, diabetes, and insulin resistance. Ursolic acid (UA), an ubiquitous triterpenoid with multifold biological roles, is distributed in various plants. This study was conducted to investigate the therapeutic effect and potential mechanisms of UA against hepatic steatosis in a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) rat model. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Obese NAFLD model was established in Sprague-Dawley rats by 8-week HFD feeding. Therapeutic role of UA was evaluated using 0.125%, 0.25%, 0.5% UA-supplemented diet for another 6 weeks. The results from both morphologic and histological detections indicated that UA significantly reversed HFD-induced hepatic steatosis and liver injury. Besides, hepatic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-α was markedly up-regulated at both mRNA and protein levels by UA. Knocking down PPAR-α significantly inhibited the anti-steatosis role of UA in vitro. HFD-induced adverse changes in the key genes, which participated in hepatic lipid metabolism, were also alleviated by UA treatment. Furthermore, UA significantly ameliorated HFD-induced metabolic disorders, including insulin resistance, inflammation and oxidative stress. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These results demonstrated that UA effectively ameliorated HFD-induced hepatic steatosis through a PPAR-α involved pathway, via improving key enzymes in the controlling of lipids metabolism. The metabolic disorders were accordingly improved with the decrease of hepatic steatosis. Thereby, UA could be a promising candidate for the treatment of NAFLD.
Subject(s)
Diet, High-Fat , Fatty Liver/drug therapy , Obesity/drug therapy , Triterpenes/pharmacology , Animals , CD36 Antigens/genetics , CD36 Antigens/metabolism , Diacylglycerol O-Acyltransferase/genetics , Diacylglycerol O-Acyltransferase/metabolism , Dietary Fats/adverse effects , Fatty Liver/etiology , Fatty Liver/metabolism , Fatty Liver/pathology , Gene Expression , Insulin Resistance , Lipase/genetics , Lipase/metabolism , Lipid Metabolism/drug effects , Liver/drug effects , Liver/metabolism , Liver/pathology , Male , Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease , Obesity/etiology , Obesity/metabolism , Obesity/pathology , PPAR alpha/antagonists & inhibitors , PPAR alpha/genetics , PPAR alpha/metabolism , RNA, Messenger/genetics , RNA, Messenger/metabolism , RNA, Small Interfering/genetics , RNA, Small Interfering/metabolism , Rats , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Ursolic AcidABSTRACT
AIM: To study the prevalence and clinical biochemical, blood cell and metabolic features of lean-non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (lean-NAFLD) and its association with other diseases. METHODS: Demographic, biochemical and blood examinations were conducted in all the subjects in this study. We classified the subjects into four groups according to their weight and NAFLD status: lean-control, lean-NAFLD [body mass index (BMI) < 24 kg/m(2)], overweight-obese control and overweight-obese NAFLD. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the means of continuous variables (age, BMI, blood pressure, glucose, lipid, insulin, liver enzymes and blood cell counts) and the χ (2) test was used to compare the differences in frequency of categorical variables (sex, education, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption and prevalence of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, metabolic syndrome central obesity and obesity). Both univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were adopted to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and predict hyperlipidemia, hypertension, diabetes and metabolic syndrome when we respectively set all controls, lean-control and overweight-obese-control as references. In multivariate logistic regression models, we adjusted potential confounding factors, including age, sex, smoking, alcohol consumption and physical activity. RESULTS: The prevalence of NAFLD was very high in China. NAFLD patients were older, had a higher BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, insulin, blood lipid, liver enzymes and uric acid than the controls. Although lean-NAFLD patients had lower BMI and waist circumstance, they had significantly higher visceral adiposity index than overweight-obese controls. Lean-NAFLD patients had comparable triglyceride, cholesterin and low-density lipoprotein cholesterin to overweight-obese NAFLD patients. In blood cell examination, both lean and overweight-obese NAFLD was companied by higher white blood cell count, red blood cell count, hemoglobin and hematocrit value. All NAFLD patients were at risk of hyperlipidemia, hypertension, diabetes and metabolic syndrome (MetS). Lean-NAFLD was more strongly associated with diabetes (OR = 2.47, 95%CI: 1.14-5.35), hypertension (OR = 1.72, 95%CI: 1.00-2.96) and MetS (OR = 3.19, 95%CI: 1.17-4.05) than overweight-obese-NAFLD (only OR for MetS was meaningful: OR = 1.89, 95%CI: 1.29-2.77). NAFLD patients were more likely to have central obesity (OR = 1.97, 95%CI: 1.38-2.80), especially in lean groups (OR = 2.17, 95%CI: 1.17-4.05). CONCLUSION: Lean-NAFLD has unique results in demographic, biochemical and blood examinations, and adds significant risk for diabetes, hypertension and MetS in lean individuals.