Transient neonatal hyperglycemia induces metabolic shifts in the rat hippocampus: a 1H NMR-based metabolomics analysis.

Diabetes has been reported to induce brain metabolic disturbance, but the effect of transient neonatal hyperglycemia (TNH) on brain metabolism remains unclear. Herein the rats were treated with a single intraperitoneal injection of 100 µg/g body weight of streptozotocin within 12 h after birth and displayed a typical clinical characteristic of TNH. Then we used NMR-based metabolomics to examine the metabolic changes in the hippocampus between TNH and normal control (Ctrl) rats at postnatal 7 days (P7) and 21 days (P21). The results show that TNH rats had significantly increased levels of N-acetyl aspartate, glutamine, aspartate and choline in the hippocampus relative to Ctrl rats at P7. Moreover, we found that the levels of alanine, myo-inositol and choline were significantly lower in TNH rats, although their blood glucose levels have been recovered to the normal level at P21. Therefore, our results suggest that TNH may have a long-term effect on hippocampal metabolic changes mainly involving neurotransmitter metabolism and choline metabolism.

Amelioration of Obesity-Related Disorders in High-Fat Diet-Fed Mice following Fecal Microbiota Transplantation from Inulin-Dosed Mice.

The role of inulin in alleviating obesity-related disorders has been documented; yet, its underlying mechanisms still need to be further investigated. This study attempted to elucidate the causative link between the gut microbiota and the beneficial effect of inulin on obesity-related disorders via transferring the fecal microbiota from inulin-dosed mice to high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese recipient mice. The results show that inulin supplementation can decrease body weight, fat accumulation, and systemic inflammation and can also enhance glucose metabolism in HFD-induced obese mice. Treatment with inulin reshaped the structure and composition of the gut microbiota in HFD-induced obese mice, as characterized by increases in the relative abundances of Bifidobacterium and Muribaculum and decreases in unidentified_Lachnospiraceae and Lachnoclostridium. In addition, we found that these favorable effects of inulin could be partially transferable by fecal microbiota transplantation, and Bifidobacterium and Muribaculum might be the key bacterial genera. Therefore, our results suggest that inulin ameliorates obesity-related disorders by targeting the gut microbiota.

Potential Therapeutic Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Diabetes in Rodents: A Review from an NMR-Based Metabolomics Perspective.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used to treat diabetes for a long time, but its application has not been widely accepted due to unstandardized product quality and complex pharmacological mechanisms. The modernization of TCM is crucial for its further development, and in recent years the metabolomics technique has largely driven its modernization. This review focuses on the application of NMR-based metabolomics in diabetic therapy using TCM. We identified a series of metabolic pathways that altered significantly after TCM treatment, providing a better understanding of the metabolic mechanisms of TCM for diabetes care.

Modified In Vivo Matrix Gel Plug Assay for Angiogenesis Studies.

Several models have been developed to investigate angiogenesis in vivo. However, most of these models are complex and expensive, require specialized equipment, or are hard to perform for subsequent quantitative analysis. Here we present a modified matrix gel plug assay to evaluate angiogenesis in vivo. In this protocol, vascular cells were mixed with matrix gel in the presence or absence of pro-angiogenic or anti-angiogenic reagents, and then subcutaneously injected into the back of recipient mice. After 7 days, phosphate buffer saline containing dextran-FITC is injected via the tail vein and circulated in vessels for 30 min. Matrix gel plugs are collected and embedded with tissue embedding gel, then 12 µm sections are cut for fluorescence detection without staining. In this assay, dextran-FITC with high molecular weight (~150,000 Da) can be used to indicate functional vessels for detecting their length, while dextran-FITC with low molecular weight (~4,400 Da) can be used to indicate the permeability of neo-vessels. In conclusion, this protocol can provide a reliable and convenient method for the quantitative study of angiogenesis in vivo.

Targeting Gut Microbiota and Host Metabolism with Dendrobium officinale Dietary Fiber to Prevent Obesity and Improve Glucose Homeostasis in Diet-Induced Obese Mice.

SCOPE: Obesity is becoming a major public health problem due to excess dietary fat intake. Dendrobium officinale (D. officinale) is a medicine food homology plant and exerts multiple health-promoting effects. However, its antiobesity effects and the potential mechanisms remain unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS: High-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice are administered D. officinale dietary fiber (DODF) daily by gavage for 11 weeks. The results show that treatment with DODF alleviates obesity, liver steatosis, inflammation, and oxidant stress in HFD-induced obese mice. Improved glucose homeostasis in obese mice after DODF treatment is achieved by enhancing insulin pathway and hepatic glycogen synthesis. DODF restructures the gut microbiota in obese mice by decreasing the relative abundance of Bilophila and increasing the relative abundances of Akkermansia, Bifidobacterium, and Muribaculum. Also, DODF reshapes the metabolic phenotype of obese mice as indicated by up-regulating energy metabolism, increasing acetate and taurine, and reducing serum low density/very low density lipoproteins (LDL/VLDL). These beneficial effects are partly transferred by FMT, implying the gut microbiota as a target for the protective effect of DODF on obesity-related symptoms. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that DODF can be used as a novel prebiotics to maintain the gut microbial homeostasis and improve metabolic health, preventing obesity and related metabolic syndrome.