ABSTRACT
Apolipoprotein a1, which is a major lipoprotein component of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), was reported to decrease plasma glucose in type 2 diabetes. Although recent studies also have shown that apolipoprotein a1 is involved in triglyceride (TG) metabolism, the mechanisms by which apolipoprotein a1 modulates TG levels remain largely unexplored. Here we demonstrated that apolipoprotein a1 increased mitochondrial DNA and mitochondria contents through sustained AMPK activation in myotubes. This resulted in enhanced fatty acid oxidation and attenuation of free fatty acid-induced insulin resistance features in skeletal muscle. The increment of mitochondria was mediated through induction of transcription factors, such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α) and nuclear transcription factor 1 (NRF-1). The inhibition of AMPK by a pharmacological agent inhibited the induction of mitochondrial biogenesis. Increase of AMPK phosphorylation by apolipoprotein a1 occurs through activation of upstream kinase LKB1. Finally, we confirmed that scavenger receptor Class B, type 1 (SR-B1) is an important receptor for apolipoprotein a1 in stimulating AMPK pathway and mitochondrial biogenesis. Our study suggests that apolipoprotein a1 can alleviate obesity related metabolic disease by inducing AMPK dependent mitochondrial biogenesis.
Subject(s)
AMP-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism , Apolipoprotein A-I/metabolism , Liver/metabolism , Mitochondria, Liver/metabolism , Mitochondria, Muscle/metabolism , Muscle, Skeletal/metabolism , AMP-Activated Protein Kinases/genetics , Animals , Apolipoprotein A-I/genetics , Cell Line , Mice , Mitochondria, Liver/genetics , Mitochondria, Muscle/genetics , Nuclear Respiratory Factor 1/genetics , Nuclear Respiratory Factor 1/metabolism , Obesity/genetics , Obesity/metabolism , Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alpha , Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/genetics , Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism , Scavenger Receptors, Class B/genetics , Scavenger Receptors, Class B/metabolism , Transcription Factors/genetics , Transcription Factors/metabolismABSTRACT
AMP-activated protein kinase has been described as a key signaling protein that can regulate energy homeostasis. Here, we aimed to characterize novel AMP-activated kinase (AMPK)-activating compounds that have a much lower effective concentration than metformin. As a result, emodin, a natural anthraquinone derivative, was shown to stimulate AMPK activity in skeletal muscle and liver cells. Emodin enhanced GLUT4 translocation and [(14)C]glucose uptake into the myotube in an AMPK-dependent manner. Also, emodin inhibited glucose production by suppressing the expression of key gluconeogenic genes, such as phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and glucose-6-phosphatase, in hepatocytes. Furthermore, we found that emodin can activate AMPK by inhibiting mitochondrial respiratory complex I activity, leading to increased reactive oxygen species and Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase activity. Finally, we confirmed that a single dose administration of emodin significantly decreased the fasting plasma glucose levels and improved glucose tolerance in C57Bl/6J mice. Increased insulin sensitivity was also confirmed after daily injection of emodin for 8 days using an insulin tolerance test and insulin-stimulated PI3K phosphorylation in wild type and high fat diet-induced diabetic mouse models. Our study suggests that emodin regulates glucose homeostasis in vivo by AMPK activation and that this may represent a novel therapeutic principle in the treatment of type 2 diabetic models.