Improving obesity research: Unveiling metabolic pathways through a 3D In vitro model of adipocytes using 3T3-L1 cells.

Obesity, a burgeoning global health crisis, has tripled in prevalence over the past 45 years, necessitating innovative research methodologies. Adipocytes, which are responsible for energy storage, play a central role in obesity. However, most studies in this field rely on animal models or adipocyte monolayer cell cultures, which are limited in their ability to fully mimic the complex physiology of a living organism, or pose challenges in terms of cost, time consumption, and ethical considerations. These limitations prompt a shift towards alternative methodologies. In response, here we show a 3D in vitro model utilizing the 3T3-L1 cell line, aimed at faithfully replicating the metabolic intricacies of adipocytes in vivo. Using a workable cell line (3T3-L1), we produced adipocyte spheroids and differentiated them in presence and absence of TNF-α. Through a meticulous proteomic analysis, we compared the molecular profile of our adipose spheroids with that of adipose tissue from lean and obese C57BL/6J mice. This comparison demonstrated the model's efficacy in studying metabolic conditions, with TNF-α treated spheroids displaying a notable resemblance to obese white adipose tissue. Our findings underscore the model's simplicity, reproducibility, and cost-effectiveness, positioning it as a robust tool for authentically mimicking in vitro metabolic features of real adipose tissue. Notably, our model encapsulates key aspects of obesity, including insulin resistance and an obesity profile. This innovative approach has the potential to significantly impact the discovery of novel therapeutic interventions for metabolic syndrome and obesity. By providing a nuanced understanding of metabolic conditions, our 3D model stands as a transformative contribution to in vitro research, offering a pathway for the development of small molecules and biologics targeting these pervasive health issues in humans.

Unveiling the intricacies of BPA and BPS: comprehensive insights into its toxic effects using a cutting-edge microphysiological system.

Concerns over Bisphenol A (BPA) and its substitute, Bisphenol S (BPS), have led to innovative exploration due to potential adverse health effects. BPS, replacing BPA in some regions to avoid toxic impacts, remains insufficiently studied. Besides this, the organ-on-a-chip technology emerges as a transformative solution in drug discovery and chemiclas toxicity testing, minimizing costs and aligning with ethical standards by reducing reliance on animal models, by integrating diverse tissues and dynamic cell environments enhances precision in predicting organ function. Here, we employ a 3-organ-on-a-chip microfluidic device with skin, intestine, and liver cultures to assess the effects of BPA and BPS via topical and oral administration. Our evaluation focused on gene markers associated with carcinogenicity, systemic toxicity, and endocrine disruption. BPA exhibited expected absorption profiles, causing liver injury and genetic modulation in related pathways. BPS, a safer alternative, induced adverse effects on gene expression, particularly in topical absorption, with distinct absorption patterns. Our findings underscore the urgency of addressing BPA and BPS toxicity concerns, highlighting the crucial role of organ-on-a-chip technology in understanding associated health risks. The study promotes the organ-on-a-chip methodology as a valuable tool for safe drug development and disease treatments, offering a novel liver toxicity screening alternative to traditional animal tests. This contributes to advancing comprehension of the biological effects of these compounds, fostering improved safety assessments in human health.

Unraveling the evolutionary origin of the complex Nuclear Receptor Element (cNRE), a cis-regulatory module required for preferential expression in the atrial chamber.

Cardiac function requires appropriate proteins in each chamber. Atria requires slow myosin to act as reservoirs, while ventricles demand fast myosin for swift pumping. Myosins are thus under chamber-biased cis-regulation, with myosin gene expression imbalances leading to congenital heart dysfunction. To identify regulatory inputs leading to cardiac chamber-biased expression, we computationally and molecularly dissected the quail Slow Myosin Heavy Chain III (SMyHC III) promoter that drives preferential expression to the atria. We show that SMyHC III gene states are orchestrated by a complex Nuclear Receptor Element (cNRE) of 32 base pairs. Using transgenesis in zebrafish and mice, we demonstrate that preferential atrial expression is achieved by a combinatorial regulatory input composed of atrial activation motifs and ventricular repression motifs. Using comparative genomics, we show that the cNRE might have emerged from an endogenous viral element through infection of an ancestral host germline, revealing an evolutionary pathway to cardiac chamber-specific expression.