Role of liver AMPK and GCN2 kinases in the control of postprandial protein metabolism in response to mid-term high or low protein intake in mice.

PURPOSE: Protein synthesis and proteolysis are known to be controlled through mammalian target of rapamycin, AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) and general control non-derepressible 2 (GCN2) pathways, depending on the nutritional condition. This study aimed at investigating the contribution of liver AMPK and GCN2 on the adaptation to high variations in protein intake. METHODS: To evaluate the answer of protein pathways to high- or low-protein diet, male wild-type mice and genetically modified mice from C57BL/6 background with liver-specific AMPK- or GCN2-knockout were fed from day 25 diets differing in their protein level as energy: LP (5%), NP (14%) and HP (54%). Two hours after a 1 g test meal, protein synthesis rate was measured after a 13C valine flooding dose. The gene expression of key enzymes involved in proteolysis and GNC2 signaling pathway were quantified. RESULTS: The HP diet but not the LP diet was associated with a decrease in fractional synthesis rate by 29% in the liver compared to NP diet. The expression of mRNA encoding ubiquitin and Cathepsin D was not sensitive to the protein content. The deletion of AMPK or GCN2 in the liver did not affect nor protein synthesis rates and neither proteolysis markers in the liver or in the muscle, whatever the protein intake. In the postprandial state, protein level alters protein synthesis in the liver but not in the muscle. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these results suggest that liver AMPK and GCN2 are not involved in this adaptation to high- and low-protein diet observed in the postprandial period.

Moderate adiposity levels counteract protein metabolism modifications associated with aging in rats.

PURPOSE: Physiological parameters such as adiposity and age are likely to influence protein digestion and utilization. The aim of this study was to evaluate the combined effects of age and adiposity on casein protein and amino acid true digestibility and its postprandial utilization in rats. METHODS: Four groups were included (n = 7/8): 2 months/normal adiposity, 2 months/high adiposity, 11 months/normal adiposity and 11 months/high adiposity. Rats were given a calibrated meal containing 15N-labeled casein (Ingredia, Arras, France) and were euthanized 6 h later. Digestive contents were collected to assess protein and amino acid digestibilities. 15N enrichments were measured in plasma and urine to determine total body deamination. Fractional protein synthesis rate (FSR) was determined in different organs using a flooding dose of 13C valine. RESULTS: Nitrogen and amino acid true digestibility of casein was around 95-96% depending on the group and was increased by 1% in high adiposity rats (P = 0.04). Higher adiposity levels counteracted the increase in total body deamination (P = 0.03) that was associated with older age. Significant effects of age (P = 0.006) and adiposity (P = 0.002) were observed in the muscle FSR, with age decreasing it and adiposity increasing it. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that a higher level of adiposity resulted in a slight increase in protein and individual amino acid true digestibility values and seemed to compensate for the metabolic postprandial protein alterations observed at older age.

The True Amino Acid Digestibility of 15N-Labelled Sunflower Biscuits Determined with Ileal Balance and Dual Isotope Methods in Healthy Humans.

BACKGROUND: Sunflower is a promising protein source but data on amino acid (AA) digestibility are lacking in humans. Classically, the determination of AA digestibility requires ileal digesta sampling. The dual isotope method is minimally invasive but has not been compared to the conventional approach. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the true ileal digestibility of sunflower AAs in healthy volunteers who ate biscuits containing 15nitrogen (N) protein isolate, in comparison with the dual isotope method. METHODS: Twelve healthy volunteers (men and women; 40.4 ± 10.5 years old; BMI, 23.7 ± 2.9 kg/m2) were equipped with a naso-ileal tube. For 4 hours, they consumed 9 repeated meals comprising 15N-sunflower protein biscuits together with 13carbon (C)-AAs, carried either in chocolate (SUN + Ch; n = 7) or apple puree (SUN + P; n = 5). Ileal digesta and blood were sampled throughout 8 hours after ingestion of the first meal. The 15N and 13C AA enrichments were measured in digesta to determine ileal digestibility directly and in plasma to determine lysine and threonine digestibility using the dual isotope method. Differences between methods and between vector groups were analyzed using paired and unpaired t-tests, respectively. RESULTS: The ileal digestibility of sunflower indispensable AAs (IAA) was 89% ± 5.3%, with threonine and lysine having the lowest digestibility. In the SUN + Ch meal, IAA digestibility was 3% below that of SUN + P (P < 0.05). The mean free 13C-AA ileal digestibility was 98.1% ± 0.9%. No matter which matrix was used to carry 13C-AAs, plasma 15N and 13C-AA kinetics displayed a 1-hour offset. Digestibility obtained with the dual isotope method (70.4% ± 6.0% for threonine and 75.9% ± 22.3% for lysine) was below the target values. CONCLUSIONS: The ileal digestibility of IAAs from a sunflower isolate incorporated in a biscuit was close to 90% in healthy adults. Under our experimental conditions, the dual isotope method provided lower values than the usual method. Further protocol developments are needed to validate the equivalence between both methods. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT04024605.

Lysine or Threonine Deficiency Decreases Body Weight Gain in Growing Rats despite an Increase in Food Intake without Increasing Energy Expenditure in Response to FGF21.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of a strictly essential amino acid (lysine or threonine; EAA) deficiency on energy metabolism in growing rats. Rats were fed for three weeks severely (15% and 25% of recommendation), moderately (40% and 60%), and adequate (75% and 100%) lysine or threonine-deficient diets. Food intake and body weight were measured daily and indirect calorimetry was performed the week three. At the end of the experimentation, body composition, gene expression, and biochemical analysis were performed. Lysine and threonine deficiency induced a lower body weight gain and an increase in relative food intake. Lysine or threonine deficiency induced liver FGF21 synthesis and plasma release. However, no changes in energy expenditure were observed for lysine deficiency, unlike threonine deficiency, which leads to a decrease in total and resting energy expenditure. Interestingly, threonine severe deficiency, but not lysine deficiency, increase orexigenic and decreases anorexigenic hypothalamic neuropeptides expression, which could explain the higher food intake. Our results show that the deficiency in one EAA, induces a decrease in body weight gain, despite an increased relative food intake, without any increase in energy expenditure despite an induction of FGF21.

Protein-carbohydrate interaction effects on energy balance, FGF21, IGF-1, and hypothalamic gene expression in rats.

Amino acids are involved in energy homeostasis, just as are carbohydrates and lipids. Therefore, mechanisms controlling protein intake should operate independently and in combination with systems controlling overall energy intake to coordinate appropriate metabolic and behavioral responses. The objective of this study was to quantify the respective roles of dietary protein and carbohydrate levels on energy balance, plasma fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) and insulin growth factor 1 (IGF-1) concentrations, and hypothalamic neurotransmitters (POMC, NPY, AgRP, and CART). In a simplified geometric framework, 7-wk-old male Wistar rats were fed 12 diets containing 3%-30% protein for 3 wk, in which carbohydrates accounted for 30%-75% of the carbohydrate and fat part of the diet. As a result of this study, most of the studied parameters (body composition, energy expenditure, plasma FGF21 and IGF-1 concentrations, and Pomc/Agrp ratio) responded mainly to the protein content and to a lesser extent to the carbohydrate content in the diet.NEW & NOTEWORTHY As mechanisms controlling protein intake can operate independently and in combination with those controlling energy intakes, we investigated the metabolic and behavioral effects of the protein-carbohydrate interaction. With a simplified geometric framework, we showed that body composition, energy balance, plasma FGF21 and IGF-1 concentrations, and hypothalamic Pomc/Agrp ratio were primarily responsive to protein content and, to a lesser extent, to carbohydrate content of the diet.

Severe protein deficiency induces hepatic expression and systemic level of FGF21 but inhibits its hypothalamic expression in growing rats.

To study, in young growing rats, the consequences of different levels of dietary protein deficiency on food intake, body weight, body composition, and energy balance and to assess the role of FGF21 in the adaptation to a low protein diet. Thirty-six weanling rats were fed diets containing 3%, 5%, 8%, 12%, 15% and 20% protein for three weeks. Body weight, food intake, energy expenditure and metabolic parameters were followed throughout this period. The very low-protein diets (3% and 5%) induced a large decrease in body weight gain and an increase in energy intake relative to body mass. No gain in fat mass was observed because energy expenditure increased in proportion to energy intake. As expected, Fgf21 expression in the liver and plasma FGF21 increased with low-protein diets, but Fgf21 expression in the hypothalamus decreased. Under low protein diets (3% and 5%), the increase in liver Fgf21 and the decrease of Fgf21 in the hypothalamus induced an increase in energy expenditure and the decrease in the satiety signal responsible for hyperphagia. Our results highlight that when dietary protein decreases below 8%, the liver detects the low protein diet and responds by activating synthesis and secretion of FGF21 in order to activate an endocrine signal that induces metabolic adaptation. The hypothalamus, in comparison, responds to protein deficiency when dietary protein decreases below 5%.

Urinary Medium-Chained Acyl-Carnitines Sign High Caloric Intake whereas Short-Chained Acyl-Carnitines Sign High -Protein Diet within a High-Fat, Hypercaloric Diet in a Randomized Crossover Design Dietary Trial.

The western dietary pattern is known for its frequent meals rich in saturated fat and protein, resulting in a postprandial state for a large part of the day. Therefore, our aim was to investigate the postprandial glucose and lipid metabolism in response to high (HP) or normal (NP) protein, high-fat hypercaloric diet and to identify early biomarkers of protein intake and hepatic lipid accumulation. In a crossover design, 17 healthy subjects were randomly assigned to consume a HP or NP hypercaloric diet for two weeks. In parallel, a control group (CD; n = 10) consumed a weight-maintaining control diet. Biomarkers of postprandial lipid and glucose metabolism were measured in 24 h urine and in plasma before and following a meal challenge. The metabolic profile of urine but not plasma, showed increased excretion of 13C, carnitine and short chain acyl-carnitines after adaptation to the HP diet. Urinary excretion of decatrienoylcarnitine and octenoylcarnitine increased after adaptation to the NP diet. Our results suggest that the higher excretion of short-chain urinary acyl-carnitines could facilitate the elimination of excess fat of the HP diet and thereby reduce hepatic fat accumulation previously reported, whereas the higher excretion medium-chains acyl-carnitine could be early biomarkers of hepatic lipid accumulation.

Rats Self-Select a Constant Protein-to-Carbohydrate Ratio Rather Than a Constant Protein-to-Energy Ratio and Have Low Plasma FGF21 Concentrations.

BACKGROUND: Under dietary self-selection (DSS), rats ingest 25-30% of energy as protein. This high level appears to be explained by metabolic benefits related to reduced carbohydrate dependence and associated pathologies. However, the mechanisms underlying these choices remain largely misunderstood. OBJECTIVES: The aim was to test the hypothesis that in a DSS model, rats select a protein-to-energy (PE) ratio to maintain the protein-to-carbohydrate (PC) ratio constant and that fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is involved in this response. METHODS: Adult male Wistar rats were used in 3 experiments. The first was to determine whether the PE ratio was influenced by changes in carbohydrate content. The second was to test whether the PE ratio was defended with a modified DSS model. The third was to determine whether the selected PE ratio was of metabolic interest compared with a standard 15% protein diet. Food intake, body weight, and energy expenditure were measured. After 3 wk, plasma was sampled and rats were killed to determine body composition and gene expression. Statistical analyses were mainly done by ANOVA tests and correlation tests. RESULTS: The selected PE ratio increased from 20% to 35% when the carbohydrate content of the protein-free diet increased from 30% to 75% (R2 = 0.56; P < 10-6). Consequently, the PC ratio was constant (70%) in all groups (P = 0.18). In self-selecting rats, plasma FGF21 concentrations were 3 times lower than in rats fed the 5% protein diet (P < 10-4) and similar to those in rats fed a 30% diet. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that self-selecting rats established PE ratios larger than those considered sufficient to achieve optimal growth in adult rats (10-15%), and the ratios were highly dependent on carbohydrates, apparently with the aim of maintaining a constant and high PC ratio. This was associated with a minimization of plasma FGF21.

Very low ileal nitrogen and amino acid digestibility of zein compared to whey protein isolate in healthy volunteers.

BACKGROUND: Whey protein and zein are of nutritional interest due to their high leucine content, but little data are available on their amino acid (AA) ileal digestibility. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine ileal digestibility of whey protein isolate (WPI) and zein in healthy volunteers by use of the naso-ileal intubation method, which allows continuous collection of postprandial ileal digesta. METHODS: Twenty-two healthy volunteers were intubated with a naso-ileal sampling device positioned at the terminal ileum level. They received a single meal of protein-free biscuits and a drink containing zein (n = 8), WPI (n = 7), or no protein (protein free, n = 7). Ileal effluents and plasma samples were collected over a 9-h postprandial period. Total nitrogen and AA contents were quantified in effluents. True ileal digestibility was calculated after correction for endogenous losses evaluated in the protein-free group. RESULTS: True ileal nitrogen digestibility of zein was markedly lower than WPI (60.2 ± 4.5% and 91.2 ± 2.6%, respectively, P = 0.0003). True ileal digestibility of AAs ranged from 87.4 ± 2.7% for threonine to 98.4 ± 1.0% for methionine in the WPI group, and from 59.3 ± 5.6% for methionine to 69.0 ± 5.8% for arginine in the zein group. The digestible indispensable AA (IAA) score was 1.03 (histidine) for WPI and close to 0 for zein, owing to its negligible lysine content. Plasma IAA concentration significantly increased after WPI intake (P = 0.0319), whereas no effect of zein on aminoacidemia was observed, including plasma leucine, despite its high leucine content. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide data on ileal digestibility of WPI and zein AAs in healthy humans and, in contrast to WPI, zein is poorly digestible. This study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03279211.

15N and ²H Intrinsic Labeling Demonstrate That Real Digestibility in Rats of Proteins and Amino Acids from Sunflower Protein Isolate Is Almost as High as That of Goat Whey.

BACKGROUND: In the context of developing plant protein sources for humans, sunflower is a good candidate in its form as an oilseed coproduct. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to compare the real digestibility in rats of a sunflower isolate to that of goat whey protein. We also studied the efficiency of 15N and 2H intrinsic labeling in this assessment. METHODS: Sunflower seeds and goat milk were labeled with 15N and 2H. Male Wistar rats (10 wk old) were fed a meal containing 12% of either sunflower isolate (n = 8) or whey (n = 8). Six hours after meal ingestion, protein and amino acid digestibility were assessed by measuring nitrogen, hydrogen, and amino acids in the digesta, as well as isotope enrichments in the bulk and individual amino acids. The differences between groups and isotopes were respectively tested with an unpaired and a paired t test. RESULTS: Protein isolate purity was 87% for whey and 94% for sunflower. 2H and 15N enrichments were, respectively, 0.12 atom % (AP) and 1.06 AP in sunflower isolate and 0.18 AP and 0.95 AP in whey. Fecal 15N protein digestibility was 97.2 ± 0.2% for whey and 95.1 ± 0.5% for sunflower isolate. The use of 2H resulted in a lower digestibility estimate than 15N for whey (96.9 ± 0.2%, P < 0.05) and sunflower (94.2 ± 0.5%, P < 0.01). For both isotopes, protein digestibility was about 2% higher for whey than for sunflower isolate. Mean 15N amino acid caecal digestibility was 97.5 ± 0.2% for whey and 96.3 ± 0.2% for sunflower isolate. The values obtained with 15N and 2H resulted in significant differences ranging from -0.1% to 3.5%. The DIAAS was >1.0 for whey and 0.84 for sunflower (lysine). CONCLUSIONS: The protein and amino acid digestibility of sunflower isolate was high but its DIAAS reflected a moderate lysine imbalance. Despite slight differences with 15N, deuterium produced comparable results, making it suitable for in vivo digestion studies.

Liver GCN2 controls hepatic FGF21 secretion and modulates whole body postprandial oxidation profile under a low-protein diet.

General control nonderepressible 2 (GCN2) is a kinase that detects amino acid deficiency and is involved in the control of protein synthesis and energy metabolism. However, the role of hepatic GCN2 in the metabolic adaptations in response to the modulation of dietary protein has been seldom studied. Wild-type (WT) and liver GCN2-deficient (KO) mice were fed either a normo-protein diet, a low-protein diet, or a high-protein diet for 3 wk. During this period, body weight, food intake, and metabolic parameters were followed. In mice fed normo- and high-protein diets, GCN2 pathway in the liver is not activated in WT mice, leading to a similar metabolic profile with the one of KO mice. On the contrary, a low-protein diet activates GCN2 in WT mice, inducing FGF21 secretion. In turn, FGF21 maintains a high level of lipid oxidation, leading to a different postprandial oxidation profile compared with KO mice. Hepatic GCN2 controls FGF21 secretion under a low-protein diet and modulates a whole body postprandial oxidation profile.

High Pancreatic Amylase Expression Promotes Adiposity in Obesity-Prone Carbohydrate-Sensitive Rats.

BACKGROUND: We have reported large differences in adiposity (fat mass/body weight) gain between rats fed a low-fat, high-starch diet, leading to their classification into carbohydrate "sensitive" and "resistant" rats. In sensitive animals, fat accumulates in visceral adipose tissues, leading to the suggestion that this form of obesity could be responsible for rapid development of metabolic syndrome. OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether increased amylase secretion by the pancreas and accelerated starch degradation in the intestine could be responsible for this phenotype. METHOD: Thirty-two male Wistar rats (7-wk-old) were fed a purified low-fat (10%), high-carbohydrate diet for 6 wk, in which most of the carbohydrate (64% by energy) was provided as corn starch. Meal tolerance tests of the Starch diet were performed to measure glucose and insulin responses to meal ingestion. Indirect calorimetry combined with use of 13C-labelled dietary starch was used to assess meal-induced changes in whole body and starch-derived glucose oxidation. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to assess mRNA expression in pancreas, liver, white and brown adipose tissues, and intestine. Amylase activity was measured in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum contents. ANOVA and regression analyses were used for statistical comparisons. RESULTS: "Resistant" and "sensitive" rats were separated according to adiposity gain during the study (1.73% ± 0.20% compared with 4.35% ± 0.36%). Breath recovery of 13CO2 from 13C-labelled dietary starch was higher in "sensitive" rats, indicating a larger increase in whole body glucose oxidation and, conversely, a larger decrease in lipid oxidation. Amylase mRNA expression in pancreas, and amylase activity in jejunum, were also higher in sensitive rats. CONCLUSION: Differences in digestion of starch can promote visceral fat accumulation in rats when fed a low-fat, high-starch diet. This mechanism may have important implications in human obesity.

Low-protein and methionine, high-starch diets increase energy intake and expenditure, increase FGF21, decrease IGF-1, and have little effect on adiposity in mice.

Low-protein diets most often induce increased energy intake in an attempt to increase protein intake to meet protein needs with a risk of accumulation as fat of the excess energy intake. In female adult BALB/c mice, a decrease in dietary casein from 20% to 6% and 3% increased energy intake and slightly increased adiposity, and this response was exacerbated with soy proteins with low methionine content. The effect on fat mass was however limited because total energy expenditure increased to the same extent as energy intake. Lean body mass was preserved in all 6% fed mice and reduced only in 3% casein-fed animals. Insulin response to an oral glucose tolerance test was reduced in soy-fed mice and in low-protein-fed mice. Low-protein diets did not affect uncoupling protein 1 and increased fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) in brown adipose tissue and increased FGF21, fatty acid synthase, and cluster of differentiation 36 in the liver. In the hypothalamus, neuropeptide Y was increased and proopiomelanocortin was decreased only in 3% casein-fed mice. In plasma, when protein was decreased, insulin-like growth factor-1 decreased and FGF21 increased and plasma FGF21 was best described by using a combination of dietary protein level, protein-to-carbohydrate ratio, and protein-to-methionine ratio in the diet. In conclusion, reducing dietary protein and protein quality increases energy intake but also energy expenditure resulting in an only slight increase in adiposity. In this process, FGF21 is probably an important signal that responds to a complex combination of protein restriction, protein quality, and carbohydrate content of the diet.

The Protein Status of Rats Affects the Rewarding Value of Meals Due to their Protein Content.

Background: Protein status is controlled by the brain, which modulates feeding behavior to prevent protein deficiency. Objective: This study tested in rats whether protein status modulates feeding behavior through brain reward pathways. Methods: Experiments were conducted in male Wistar rats (mean ± SD weight; 230 ± 16 g). In experiment 1, rats adapted for 2 wk to a low-protein (LP; 6% of energy) or a normal-protein (NP; 14% of energy) diet were offered a choice between 3 cups containing high-protein (HP; 50% of energy), NP, or LP feed; their intake was measured for 24 h. In 2 other experiments, the rats were adapted for 2 wk to NP and either HP or LP diets and received, after overnight feed deprivation, a calibrated HP, NP, or LP meal daily. After the meal, on the last day, rats were killed and body composition and blood protein, triglycerides, gut neuropeptides, and hormones were determined. In the brain, neuropeptide mRNAs in the hypothalamus and c-Fos protein and opioid and dopaminergic receptor mRNAs in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) were measured. Results: Rats fed an LP compared with an NP diet had 7% lower body weight, significantly higher protein intake in a choice experiment (mean ± SD: 30.5% ± 0.05% compared with 20.5% ± 0.05% of energy), higher feed-deprived blood ghrelin, lower postmeal blood leptin, and higher neuropeptide Y (Npy) and corticotropin-releasing hormone (Crh) mRNA expression in the hypothalamus. In contrast to NP, rats fed an LP diet showed postmeal c-Fos protein expression in the NAcc, which was significantly different between meals, with LP < NP < HP. In contrast, in rats adapted to an HP diet compared with an NP diet, energy intake was lower; and in the NAcc, meal-induced c-Fos protein expression was 20% lower, and mRNA expression was 17% higher for dopamine receptor 2 (Drd2) receptors and 38% lower for κ opioid receptor (Oprk1) receptors. Conclusion: A protein-restricted diet induced a reward system-driven appetite for protein, whereas a protein-rich diet reduced the meal-induced activation of reward pathways and lowered energy intake in male rats.

Low-protein diet-induced hyperphagia and adiposity are modulated through interactions involving thermoregulation, motor activity, and protein quality in mice.

Low protein (LP)-containing diets can induce overeating in rodents and possibly in humans in an effort to meet protein requirement, but the effects on energy expenditure (EE) are unclear. The present study evaluated the changes induced by reducing dietary protein from 20% to 6%-using either soy protein or casein-on energy intake, body composition, and EE in mice housed at 22°C or at 30°C (thermal neutrality). LP feeding increased energy intake and adiposity, more in soy-fed than in casein-fed mice, but also increased EE, thus limiting fat accumulation. The increase in EE was due mainly to an increase in spontaneous motor activity related to EE and not to thermoregulation. However, the high cost of thermoregulation at 22°C and the subsequent heat exchanges between nonshivering thermogenesis, motor activity, and feeding induced large differences in adaptation between mice housed at 22°C and at 30°C.

Modifying the Dietary Carbohydrate-to-Protein Ratio Alters the Postprandial Macronutrient Oxidation Pattern in Liver of AMPK-Deficient Mice.

Background: Hepatic AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) activity is sensitive to the dietary carbohydrate-to-protein ratio. However, the role of AMPK in metabolic adaptations to variations in dietary macronutrients remains poorly understood.Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the role of hepatic AMPK in the adaptation of energy metabolism in response to modulation of the dietary carbohydrate-to-protein ratio.Methods: Male 7-wk-old wild-type (WT) and liver AMPK-deficient (knockout) mice were fed either a normal-protein and normal-carbohydrate diet (NP-NC; 14% protein, 76% carbohydrate on an energy basis), a low-protein and high-carbohydrate diet (LP-HC; 5% protein, 85% carbohydrate), or a high-protein and low-carbohydrate diet (HP-LC; 55% protein, 35% carbohydrate) for 3 wk. During this period, after an overnight fast, metabolic parameters were measured and indirect calorimetry was performed in mice during the first hours after refeeding a 1-g calibrated meal of their own diet in order to investigate lipid and carbohydrate metabolism.Results: Knockout mice fed an LP-HC or HP-LC meal exhibited 24% and 8% lower amplitudes in meal-induced carbohydrate and lipid oxidation changes. By contrast, knockout mice fed an NP-NC meal displayed normal carbohydrate and lipid oxidation profiles. These mice exhibited a transient increase in hepatic triglycerides and a decrease in hepatic glycogen. These changes were associated with a 650% higher secretion of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) 2 h after refeeding.Conclusions: The consequences of hepatic AMPK deletion depend on the dietary carbohydrate-to-protein ratio. In mice fed the NP-NC diet, deletion of AMPK in the liver led to an adaptation of liver metabolism resulting in increased secretion of FGF21. These changes possibly compensated for the absence of hepatic AMPK, as these mice exhibited normal postprandial changes in carbohydrate and lipid oxidation. By contrast, in mice fed the LP-HC and HP-LC diets, the lack of adjustment in liver metabolism in knockout mice resulted in a metabolic inflexibility, leading to a reduced amplitude of meal-induced changes in carbohydrate and lipid oxidation.

Low-protein diet induces, whereas high-protein diet reduces hepatic FGF21 production in mice, but glucose and not amino acids up-regulate FGF21 in cultured hepatocytes.

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a polypeptide secreted by the liver and involved in several metabolic processes such as thermogenesis and lipid oxidation. The nutritional mechanisms controlling FGF21 production are poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate how dietary carbohydrates and proteins impact FGF21 production and how in turn, FGF21 is involved in the metabolic adaptation to changes in the carbohydrate and protein contents of the diet. For that purpose, we fed 25 male C57BL/6 mice diets composed of different protein and carbohydrate contents (normal-protein and carbohydrate diet (N=9, NPNC), low-protein high-carbohydrate diet (N=8, LPHC), high-protein low-carbohydrate diet (N=8, HPLC) for 3 weeks. We measured liver Fgf21 gene expression, synthesis and secretion as well as different parameters related to energy and glucose metabolism. We also investigated the direct role of amino acids and glucose in the control of Fgf21 gene expression in hepatocyte primary cultures (n=6). In vivo, FGF21 responds acutely to LPHC intake whereas under an HPLC diet, plasma FGF21 circulating levels are low in the fasted and refed states. In hepatocytes, Fgf21 expression was controlled by glucose but not amino acids. Both diets increased the thermic effect of feeding (TEF) and ketogenesis was increased in fasted HPLC mice. The results presented suggest that dietary glucose, rather than amino acids, directly controls FGF21 secretion, and that FGF21 may be involved in the increased TEF response to LPHC. The effects of the HPLC diet on ketogenesis and TEF are probably controlled by other metabolic pathways.

Compared with Raw Bovine Meat, Boiling but Not Grilling, Barbecuing, or Roasting Decreases Protein Digestibility without Any Major Consequences for Intestinal Mucosa in Rats, although the Daily Ingestion of Bovine Meat Induces Histologic Modifications in the Colon.

BACKGROUND: Cooking may impair meat protein digestibility. When undigested proteins are fermented by the colon microbiota, they can generate compounds that potentially are harmful to the mucosa. OBJECTIVES: This study addressed the effects of typical cooking processes and the amount of bovine meat intake on the quantity of undigested proteins entering the colon, as well as their effects on the intestinal mucosa. METHODS: Male Wistar rats (n = 88) aged 8 wk were fed 11 different diets containing protein as 20% of energy. In 10 diets, bovine meat proteins represented 5% [low-meat diet (LMD)] or 15% [high-meat diet (HMD)] of energy, with the rest as total milk proteins. Meat was raw or cooked according to 4 processes (boiled, barbecued, grilled, or roasted). A meat-free diet contained only milk proteins. After 3 wk, rats ingested a (15)N-labeled meat meal and were killed 6 h later after receiving a (13)C-valine injection. Meat protein digestibility was determined from (15)N enrichments in intestinal contents. Cecal short- and branched-chain fatty acids and hydrogen sulfide were measured. Intestinal tissues were used for the assessment of protein synthesis rates, inflammation, and histopathology. RESULTS: Meat protein digestibility was lower in rats fed boiled meat (94.5% ± 0.281%) than in the other 4 groups (97.5% ± 0.0581%, P < 0.001). Cecal and colonic bacterial metabolites, inflammation indicators, and protein synthesis rates were not affected by cooking processes. The meat protein amount had a significant effect on cecal protein synthesis rates (LMD > HMD) and on myeloperoxidase activity in the proximal colon (HMD > LMD), but not on other outcomes. The ingestion of bovine meat, whatever the cooking process and the intake amount, resulted in discrete histologic modifications of the colon (epithelium abrasion, excessive mucus secretion, and inflammation). CONCLUSIONS: Boiling bovine meat at a high temperature (100°C) for a long time (3 h) moderately lowered protein digestibility compared with raw meat and other cooking processes, but did not affect cecal bacterial metabolites related to protein fermentation. The daily ingestion of raw or cooked bovine meat had no marked effect on intestinal tissues, despite some slight histologic modifications on distal colon.

Urinary metabolic profile predicts high-fat diet sensitivity in the C57Bl6/J mouse.

To prevent the development of adiposity-associated metabolic diseases, early biomarkers are needed. Such markers could bring insight to understand the complexity of susceptibility to obesity. Urine and plasma metabolomics fingerprints have been successfully associated with metabolic dysfunctions. Fat resistance (FR) was found to be associated with higher urinary levels of acylglycines and leucine. However, no differences were observed before the diet switch. In this context, we aimed at characterizing metabolic signatures predictive of resistance or sensitivity to fat in the C57Bl6/J mouse model. Urinary metabolic profiles of FR (n=15) and fat sensitivity (FS) mice (n=14) were performed on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Urinary and plasma metabolic profiles were first collected at baseline (during low-fat diet), then after 10weeks of high-fat (HF) feeding. Mice were sorted a posteriori into FS and FR based on their final adiposity. After HF feeding for 10weeks, FS mice tended to have lower plasma levels of ß-hydroxybutyrate than FR ones. Urinary metabolic profiles showed that baseline levels of octanoylglycine, leucine and valine were significantly lower in FS mice. Moreover, expressions in the adipose tissue of Baat and Glyat mRNA were lower in FS than in FR mice. In muscle, mRNA encoding CaD and UbE2b tended to be lower in FS mice than in FR mice (P=.056 and P=.071, respectively). The data show that lower levels of urinary octanoylglycine, leucine and valine are potential predictive biomarkers of FS and could be related to a lower stimulation in adipose acyl-coenzyme A conjugation to glycine and to muscle protein breakdown.

Obesity-prone high-fat-fed rats reduce caloric intake and adiposity and gain more fat-free mass when allowed to self-select protein from carbohydrate:fat intake.

We tested the hypothesis that, for rats fed a high-fat diet (HFD), a prioritization of maintaining protein intake may increase energy consumption and hence result in obesity, particularly for individuals prone to obesity ("fat sensitive," FS, vs. "fat resistant," FR). Male Wistar rats (n = 80) first received 3 wk of HFD (protein 15%, fat 42%, carbohydrate 42%), under which they were characterized as being FS (n = 18) or FR (n = 20) based on body weight gain. They then continued on the same HFD but in which protein (100%) was available separately from the carbohydrate:fat (50:50%) mixture. Under this second regimen, all rats maintained their previous protein intake, whereas intake of fat and carbohydrate was reduced by 50%. This increased protein intake to 26% and decreased fat intake to 37%. Adiposity gain was prevented in both FR and FS rats, and gain in fat-free mass was increased only in FS rats. At the end of the study, the rats were killed 2 h after ingestion of a protein meal, and their tissues and organs were collected for analysis of body composition and measurement of mRNA levels in the liver, adipose tissue, arcuate nucleus, and nucleus accumbens. FS rats had a higher expression of genes encoding enzymes involved in lipogenesis in the liver and white adipose tissue. These results show that FS rats strongly reduced food intake and adiposity gain through macronutrient selection, despite maintenance of a relatively high-fat intake and overexpression of genes favoring lipogenesis.