LED irradiated photo-Fenton for the removal of estrogenic activity and endocrine disruptors from wastewater treatment plant effluent.

The goal of this work was to evaluate the performance of the LED irradiated photo-Fenton process on the removal of (i) estrogenic activity and (ii) seven endocrine disruptors (EDs) (4-octylphenol, 4-nonylphenol, bisphenol A, estrone, 17ß-estradiol, 17α-ethinylestradiol, and estriol) from real wastewater treatment plant effluent (WWTPE). EDs are a group of contaminants of emerging concern present in WWTPE and which may be recognized by hormone receptors, thus harming animal and human health. The yeast estrogenic screen test (YES) was used to quantify estrogenic activity promoted by EDs in WWTPE samples before and after photo-Fenton treatment. Tests were performed following a factorial design with different iron (20, 40, and 60 mg L-1) and hydrogen peroxide (100, 200, and 300 mg L-1) concentrations in a laboratory scale LED photoreactor (λ = 455 nm, 1.5 L, 1.6 × 10-6 Einstein s-1). EDs were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer. Control experiments consisted of Fenton process, iron only, LED irradiation only, and H2O2 only. Optimum experimental conditions for LED photo-Fenton resulted in 62% removal of estrogenic activity and 59% mineralization. In addition, treated WWTPE was not toxic to Aliivibrio fischeri and more than 80% of EDs were removed during LED irradiated photo-Fenton. Although Fenton process showed similar efficiency to that obtained by LED photo-Fenton, a higher volume of sludge was generated in the dark. Finally, results obtained in this study confirm the applicability of LED irradiated photo-Fenton process for improving the quality of WWTPE as an alternative to solar photo-Fenton in case solar radiation is not available, thus reducing hazards associated to WWTPE reuse or discharge.

Early consumption of high-fat diet worsens renal damage in spontaneously hypertensive rats in adulthood.

The association between hypertension and obesity has been shown to be an important cause of kidney disease. We aimed to investigate the impact of a high-fat diet (HFD) administered in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) after weaning in renal morphology and functional parameters. Male post-weaned SHR were divided into two groups: standard control diet (CD) (3% lipids; n = 8) or HFD (30% lipids; n = 8) during 8 weeks. The group HFD showed an increase in serum triglycerides (HFD: 96 ± 7 vs. CD: 33 ± 2 mg/dL) and glucose intolerance (HFD: 185 ± 7 vs. CD: 149 ± 4 mg/dL/min). Moreover, the HFD also showed an increase in almost 90% of the periepididymal and retroperitoneal adiposity. There was no difference in arterial blood pressure between groups. Renal morphofunctional parameters were decreased in HFD group for glomerular tuft area and diameter (4733 ± 65 µm2 and 82 ± 1 µm, respectively) when compared with CD group (5289 ± 171 µm2 and 88 ± 2 µm, respectively). HFD also showed a decrease of 50% of the renal function, which was associated with higher renal extracellular matrix and lipid deposition. Therefore, our data suggest that HFD since early period of life may contribute to renal damage in adults with hypertension, and this impairment can be associated with increased renal lipid accumulation.

OPA1 deficiency promotes secretion of FGF21 from muscle that prevents obesity and insulin resistance.

Mitochondrial dynamics is a conserved process by which mitochondria undergo repeated cycles of fusion and fission, leading to exchange of mitochondrial genetic content, ions, metabolites, and proteins. Here, we examine the role of the mitochondrial fusion protein optic atrophy 1 (OPA1) in differentiated skeletal muscle by reducing OPA1 gene expression in an inducible manner. OPA1 deficiency in young mice results in non-lethal progressive mitochondrial dysfunction and loss of muscle mass. Mutant mice are resistant to age- and diet-induced weight gain and insulin resistance, by mechanisms that involve activation of ER stress and secretion of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) from skeletal muscle, resulting in increased metabolic rates and improved whole-body insulin sensitivity. OPA1-elicited mitochondrial dysfunction activates an integrated stress response that locally induces muscle atrophy, but via secretion of FGF21 acts distally to modulate whole-body metabolism.

Insulin receptor substrate signaling suppresses neonatal autophagy in the heart.

The induction of autophagy in the mammalian heart during the perinatal period is an essential adaptation required to survive early neonatal starvation; however, the mechanisms that mediate autophagy suppression once feeding is established are not known. Insulin signaling in the heart is transduced via insulin and IGF-1 receptors (IGF-1Rs). We disrupted insulin and IGF-1R signaling by generating mice with combined cardiomyocyte-specific deletion of Irs1 and Irs2. Here we show that loss of IRS signaling prevented the physiological suppression of autophagy that normally parallels the postnatal increase in circulating insulin. This resulted in unrestrained autophagy in cardiomyocytes, which contributed to myocyte loss, heart failure, and premature death. This process was ameliorated either by activation of mTOR with aa supplementation or by genetic suppression of autophagic activation. Loss of IRS1 and IRS2 signaling also increased apoptosis and precipitated mitochondrial dysfunction, which were not reduced when autophagic flux was normalized. Together, these data indicate that in addition to prosurvival signaling, insulin action in early life mediates the physiological postnatal suppression of autophagy, thereby linking nutrient sensing to postnatal cardiac development.

Removal of estrogens through water disinfection processes and formation of by-products.

Estrogens constitute a recognized group of environmental emerging contaminants which have been proven to induce estrogenic effects in aquatic organisms exposed to them. Low removal efficiency in wastewater treatment plants results in the presence of this type of contaminants in surface waters and also even in finished drinking water. This manuscript reviews the environmental occurrence of natural (estrone, estradiol and estriol) and synthetic (ethynyl estradiol) estrogens in different water matrices (waste, surface, ground and drinking water), and their removal mainly via chemical oxidative processes. Oxidative treatments have been observed to be very efficient in eliminating estrogens present in water; however, disinfection by-products (DBPs) are generated during the process. Characterization of these DBPs is essential to assess the risk that drinking water may potentially pose to human health since these DBPs may also have endocrine disrupting properties. This manuscript reviews the DBPs generated during oxidative processes identified so far in the literature and the estrogenicity generated by the characterized DBPs and/or by the applied disinfection technology.

Long-term effects of overfeeding during lactation on insulin secretion--the role of GLUT-2.

Overnutrition during critical developmental periods is believed to be a risk factor for the emergence of metabolic disorders in adulthood. The present study investigated the effects of pups overfeeding during lactation on offspring's insulin secretion. To study the consequences of overnutrition early in life in rats, litter size reduction has been shown to be an appropriate experimental model. To induce early postnatal overnutrition, litter size was reduced to three pups per litter at the third day following birth [overfed group (OG)]. In the control group (CG), the litter size was adjusted to 10 pups per litter. Metabolic parameters and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion were assessed. OG pups ingested more milk at 10 and 21 days and had an augmented food intake at 1 year compared to the CG. Consistently, body weight, body fat, and fasting plasma levels of insulin were higher in 1-year-old OG rats. In addition, OG rats exhibited enhanced insulin secretion, accompanied by elevated content of GLUT-2 in pancreatic islets compared to CG. These findings indicate that early postnatal overnutrition during a critical developmental period in life may program permanent alterations in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion.

Trans fatty acids in maternal milk lead to cardiac insulin resistance in adult offspring.

OBJECTIVE: Trans fatty acids (TFAs) are derived from vegetable oil hydrogenation and can be found in most manufactured food products. Our main objective was to evaluate the effects of TFA consumption by lactating dams on cardiac glucose metabolism of adult offspring by analyzing glucose transporter-4 in the left ventricle. To investigate the energy homeostasis, insulin sensitivity and hepatic glycogen content were also measured. METHODS: Lactating Wistar rats were divided into a control group or a TFA group. The control group received a diet containing soybean oil, and the TFA group received a diet containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (total trans concentration of about 10.58 mg/g, 11.75%, of total fat) throughout the lactation period. At weaning, pups from both groups received a standard chow until 60 d of age, at which time the quantity of glucose transporter-4 in the left ventricle and hepatic glycogen were measured. Moreover, insulin sensitivity was analyzed by assessing the insulin/glucose ratio and the homeostatic model assessment index. RESULTS: TFA consumption by the pups during lactation led to a significant decrease in the cardiac content of glucose transporter-4 (P < 0.05) and in the hepatic content of glycogen (P < 0.05). Moreover, we observed impaired insulin sensitivity in the TFA group (insulin/glucose ratio and homeostatic model assessment index, P < 0.05) in adulthood. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that the consumption of hydrogenated fat, rich in TFAs, by the mothers during the lactation period caused cardiac insulin resistance in the adult progeny, thus reinforcing the hypothesis that early adaptations may cause deleterious consequences later in life.

Cardiac hypertrophy caused by peroxisome proliferator- activated receptor-gamma agonist treatment occurs independently of changes in myocardial insulin signaling.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma ligands are insulin sensitizers, widely used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. A consistent observation in preclinical species is the development of cardiac hypertrophy after short-term treatment with these agents. The mechanisms for this hypertrophy are incompletely understood. Given the important role of insulin signaling in the regulation of myocardial size, we tested the hypothesis that augmentation of myocardial insulin signaling may play a role in PPAR-gamma ligand-induced cardiac hypertrophy. We treated mice with cardiomyocyte-restricted knockout of insulin receptors (CIRKO) and littermate controls (wild type) with 2-(2-(4-phenoxy-2-propylphenoxy) ethyl) indole-5-acetic acid (COOH), which is a non-thiazolidinedione PPAR-gamma agonist for 2 wk. Two weeks of COOH treatment increased heart weights by 22% in CIRKO mice and 16% in wild type, and induced similar fold increase in the expression of hypertrophic markers such as alpha-skeletal actin, brain natriuretic peptide, and atrial natriuretic peptide in CIRKO and wild-type (WT) hearts. COOH treatment increased plasma volume by 10% in COOH-treated WT and CIRKO mice but did not increase systolic or diastolic blood pressure. Echocardiographic analysis was also consistent with volume overload, as evidenced by increased left ventricular diastolic diameters and cardiac output in COOH-treated CIRKO and WT mice. These data indicate that cardiac hypertrophy after PPAR-gamma agonist treatment can occur in the absence of myocardial insulin signaling and is likely secondary to the hemodynamic consequences of plasma volume expansion.

Overfeeding during lactation modulates insulin and leptin signaling cascade in rats' hearts.

Insulin has been described as a potential mediator of intrinsic responses to the nutritional state in the heart due to its effects on cardiac metabolism, mainly on glucose transport. It has been demonstrated that leptin can act through some components of the insulin-signaling cascade. We investigated the association between overfeeding during lactation and alterations of insulin and leptin signaling in the heart. In summary, we analyzed a feasible cross-talk between insulin and leptin through the study of some key proteins of their cascades in the heart. In order to study the effect of overfeeding on these cascades, Wistar rats were overfed through litter size reduction to only three pups. At 10 and 21 days of life, key proteins such as insulin receptor, leptin receptor, PI3-kinase, JAK2, STAT3, and GLUT4 were measured by Western blotting. Furthermore, the pups' weight and the plasma levels of insulin, leptin and glucose were determined. Overfed animals were overweight, had high insulin and leptin plasma levels, and displayed an activation of insulin and leptin cascade, leading to an increased translocation of GLUT4. We suggest that overfeeding during lactation probably alters cardiac metabolism, through the activation of a modulated cross-talk between leptin and insulin cascades.