RESUMO
Results: One hundred and fifty five subjects aged 20-59 years underwent (i) liver ultrasound (US), (ii) clinical and anthropometric evaluations, (iii) blood tests, and (iv) assessment of dietary habits. According to US evaluation, 73 of them had severe, moderate, or mild liver steatosis (NAFLD patients) and 82 had no liver steatosis (healthy controls). Fifty-eight NAFLD patients and 73 controls completed the study. Among NAFLD patients, 26 (45%) downgraded steatosis severity, 12 of which achieved complete steatosis regression (21%). Three of the healthy controls developed NAFLD. The NAFLD patients improved their dietary habits and reduced BMI and waist circumference, during the study period, more than healthy controls. Liver steatosis remission/regression was independent of changes in BMI or liver enzymes and was more frequent among patients with mild steatosis at baseline. Conclusions: Mediterranean dietary advices, without a personalised meal planning, were efficient in reducing/remitting NAFLD, especially among patients with mild disease, which argues in favour of early identification and lifestyle intervention. This trial is registered with NCT03300661.
Assuntos
Hepatopatia Gordurosa não Alcoólica , Humanos , Hepatopatia Gordurosa não Alcoólica/complicações , Ultrassonografia , Antropometria , Circunferência da Cintura , Itália/epidemiologia , FígadoRESUMO
In the human body, the skin is one of the organs most affected by the aging process. Nutritional approaches aimed to counteract the age-induced decline of extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition could be a valuable tool to decrease the degenerative processes underlying skin aging. Here, we investigated the ability of a six-amino acid plus hyaluronic acid (6AAH) formulation enriched with tricarboxylic acid (TCA) intermediates to stimulate ECM gene expression. To this aim, human BJ fibroblasts were treated with 6AAH alone or plus succinate or malate alone or succinate plus malate (6AAHSM), and mRNA levels of several ECM markers were evaluated. 6AAHSM increased the expression of all the ECM markers significantly above 6AAH alone or plus only succinate or malate. Furthermore, in an in vitro oxidative damage model, 6AAHSM blunted the hydrogen peroxide-induced decline in ECM gene expression. Our data suggest that feeding cells with 6AAH enriched with TCAs could efficiently be employed as a non-pharmacological approach for counteracting skin aging.
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Ciclo do Ácido Cítrico , Malatos , Humanos , Malatos/metabolismo , Aminoácidos/metabolismo , Células Cultivadas , Matriz Extracelular/metabolismo , Fibroblastos/metabolismo , Expressão Gênica , Succinatos/metabolismoRESUMO
Adaptive thermogenesis is the heat production by muscle contractions (shivering thermogenesis) or brown adipose tissue (BAT) and beige fat (non-shivering thermogenesis) in response to external stimuli, including cold exposure. BAT and beige fat communicate with peripheral organs and the brain through a variegate secretory and absorption processes - controlling adipokines, microRNAs, extracellular vesicles, and metabolites - and have received much attention as potential therapeutic targets for managing obesity-related disorders. The sympathetic nervous system and norepinephrine-releasing adipose tissue macrophages (ATM) activate uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), expressed explicitly in brown and beige adipocytes, dissolving the electrochemical gradient and uncoupling tricarboxylic acid cycle and the electron transport chain from ATP production. Mounting evidence has attracted attention to the multiple effects of dietary and endogenously synthesised amino acids in BAT thermogenesis and metabolic phenotype in animals and humans. However, the mechanisms implicated in these processes have yet to be conclusively characterized. In the present review article, we aim to define the principal investigation areas in this context, including intestinal microbiota constitution, adipose autophagy modulation, and secretome and metabolic fluxes control, which lead to increased brown/beige thermogenesis. Finally, also based on our recent epicardial adipose tissue results, we summarise the evidence supporting the notion that the new dual and triple agonists of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), and glucagon (GCG) receptor - with never before seen weight loss and insulin-sensitizing efficacy - promote thermogenic-like amino acid profiles in BAT with robust heat production and likely trigger sympathetic activation and adaptive thermogenesis by controlling amino acid metabolism and ATM expansion in BAT and beige fat.
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Aminoácidos , Doenças Metabólicas , Animais , Humanos , Termogênese , Tecido Adiposo Marrom , AdipocinasRESUMO
Corneal disorders are frequent, involving most diabetic patients; among its manifestations, they include delayed wound healing. Since maintenance of mitochondrial homeostasis is fundamental for the cell, stimulation of mitochondrial biogenesis represents a unique therapeutic tool for preventing and treating disorders with a deficit in energy metabolism. We have recently demonstrated that a branched-chain amino acid (BCAA)-enriched mixture (BCAAem) supported mitochondrial biogenesis in cardiac and skeletal muscle, reduced liver damage caused by alcohol, and prevented the doxorubicin-dependent mitochondrial damage in cardiomyocytes. The present study aimed to investigate a new amino acid mixture, named six amino acids (6AA), to promote corneal epithelial wound healing by regulating mitochondrial biogenesis. A murine epithelium cell line (TKE2) exposed to this mixture showed increased mitochondrial biogenesis markers, fibronectin 1 (Fn1) and integrin beta 1 (ITGB1) involved in extracellular matrix synthesis and cell migration. Most importantly, the 6AA mixture completely restored the wound in scratch assays, confirming the potential of this new formula in eye disorders like keratopathy. Moreover, our results demonstrate for the first time that peroxisome proliferator-receptor γ coactivator 1 α (PGC-1α) is expressed in TKE2 cells, which controls mitochondrial function and corneal repair process. These results could be relevant for the treatment mainly focused on corneal re-epithelialisation.
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Aminoácidos , Lesões da Córnea , Aminoácidos de Cadeia Ramificada/metabolismo , Animais , Lesões da Córnea/tratamento farmacológico , Fibronectinas , Humanos , Camundongos , Biogênese de Organelas , CicatrizaçãoRESUMO
Neural tissue has high metabolic requirements. Following spinal cord injury (SCI), the damaged tissue suffers from a severe metabolic impairment, which aggravates axonal degeneration and neuronal loss. Impaired cellular energetic, tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and oxidative phosphorylation metabolism in neuronal cells has been demonstrated to be a major cause of neural tissue death and regeneration failure following SCI. Therefore, rewiring the spinal cord cell metabolism may be an innovative therapeutic strategy for the treatment of SCI. In this study, we evaluated the therapeutic effect of the recovery of oxidative metabolism in a mouse model of severe contusive SCI. Oral administration of TCA cycle intermediates, co-factors, essential amino acids, and branched-chain amino acids was started 3 days post-injury and continued until the end of the experimental procedures. Metabolomic, immunohistological, and biochemical analyses were performed on the injured spinal cord sections. Administration of metabolic precursors enhanced spinal cord oxidative metabolism. In line with this metabolic shift, we observed the activation of the mTORC1 anabolic pathway, the increase in mitochondrial mass, and ROS defense which effectively prevented the injury-induced neural cell apoptosis in treated animals. Consistently, we found more choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)-expressing motor neurons and increased neurofilament-positive corticospinal axons in the spinal cord parenchyma of the treated mice. Interestingly, oral administration of the metabolic precursors increased the number of activated microglia expressing the CD206 marker suggestive of a pro-resolutive, M2-like phenotype. These molecular and histological modifications observed in treated animals ultimately led to a significant, although partial, improvement of the motor functions. Our data demonstrate that rewiring the cellular metabolism can represent an effective strategy to treat SCI.
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Microglia , Traumatismos da Medula Espinal , Animais , Axônios/fisiologia , Metabolismo Energético , Camundongos , Microglia/metabolismo , Medula Espinal/metabolismo , Traumatismos da Medula Espinal/tratamento farmacológico , Traumatismos da Medula Espinal/patologiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Overweight and obesity are major risk factors for degenerative diseases, including cardiometabolic disorders and cancer. Research on fat and fatty acids' type is attracting less attention than that on carbohydrates. High adherence to a Mediterranean diet is associated with a better prognosis. One characteristic of the Mediterranean diet is extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) as the foremost source of dietary fat. EVOO is different from other vegetable oils because it contains peculiar "minor" components, mainly phenolic in nature. Even though olive oil is highly caloric, unrestricted use of olive oil in the PREDIMED trial did not result in weight gain. We sought to study the effects of EVOO in an appropriate mouse model of increased body weight. Furthermore, we explored the biochemical and metabolomic responses to EVOO consumption. METHODS AND RESULTS: C57BL/6N male mice were weight-matched and fed ad libitum with the following diets, for 16 weeks: 1) saturated fatty acid diet (SFA) or 2) extra-virgin olive oil diet (EVOO), a custom-prepared diet, isocaloric compared to SFA, in which 82% of fat was replaced by high (poly)phenol EVOO. We evaluated glucose homeostasis, serum biochemistry and plasma metabolomics, in addition to cardiac and hepatic gene profile, and mitochondrial respiration rate. CONCLUSION: Replacing saturated fatty acids (e.g. lard) with EVOO translates into moderate yet beneficial cardiometabolic and hepatic effects. Future research will further clarify the mechanisms of action of EVOO (poly)phenols and their role in a balanced diet.
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Doenças Cardiovasculares , Dieta Mediterrânea , Animais , Doenças Cardiovasculares/genética , Doenças Cardiovasculares/prevenção & controle , Ácidos Graxos , Humanos , Masculino , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Azeite de Oliva , Fenóis , RoedoresRESUMO
The deterioration of the skin is caused by dermatological disorders, environmental conditions, and aging processes. One incisive strategy for supervising the skin aging process is implementing healthy nutrition, preserving a balanced diet, and a good supply of food supplements. Here, we compared H-Pro-Hyp-OH peptide, hydrolyzed collagen, and an original mixture of six amino acids (we named 6aa)-including glycine, l-alanine, l-proline, l-valine, l-leucine, and l-lysine-effects on the production of extracellular matrix (ECM) components, particularly the elastin, fibronectin, collagen 1, and collagen 4. Treatment of BJ human skin fibroblasts with the 6aa mixture upregulated elastin, fibronectin, and collagen 1 gene expression, without affecting the expression of anti-reactive oxygen species enzymes. Moreover, the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway seems to be involved, at least in part. Collectively, these results suggest that the six amino acid mixture exerts beneficial effects in human skin fibroblasts.
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Aminoácidos , Elastina , Aminoácidos/metabolismo , Aminoácidos/farmacologia , Células Cultivadas , Colágeno/metabolismo , Colágeno Tipo I/genética , Colágeno Tipo I/metabolismo , Elastina/genética , Elastina/metabolismo , Matriz Extracelular/metabolismo , Fibroblastos/metabolismo , Fibronectinas/metabolismo , Expressão Gênica , Humanos , Pele/metabolismoRESUMO
Many systems for classifying food products to adequately predict lower all-cause morbidity and mortality have been proposed as front-of-pack (FOP) nutritional labels. Although the efforts and advances that these systems represent for public health must be appreciated, as scientists involved in nutrition research and belonging to diverse Italian nutrition scientific societies, we would like to draw stakeholders' attention to the fact that some FOP labels risk being not correctly informative to consumers' awareness of nutritional food quality. The European Commission has explicitly called for such a nutrition information system to be part of the European "strategy on nutrition, overweight and obesity-related issues" to "facilitate consumer understanding of the contribution or importance of the food to the energy and nutrient content of a diet". Some European countries have adopted the popular French proposal Nutri-Score. However, many critical limits and inadequacies have been identified in this system. As an alternative, we endorse a new enriched informative label-the NutrInform Battery-promoted by the Italian Ministry of Health and deeply studied by the Center for Study and Research on Obesity, Milan University. Therefore, the present position paper limits comparing these two FOP nutritional labels, focusing on the evidence suggesting that the NutrInform Battery can help consumers better than the Nutri-Score system to understand nutritional information, potentially improving dietary choices. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II. Evidence was obtained from well-designed controlled trials without randomization.
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Comportamento do Consumidor , Rotulagem de Alimentos , Comportamento de Escolha , Preferências Alimentares , Humanos , Obesidade/prevenção & controleRESUMO
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Both restriction and supplementation of specific amino acids or branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are described to improve metabolic homeostasis, energy balance, and health span. This review will discuss the recent findings of the role of amino acid supplements in the regulation of mitochondrial health. RECENT FINDINGS: A mixture of essential amino acids (EAAs), BCAA enriched mixture, was found to extend healthy life span in elderly mice and prevent multiple diseases associated with an energy deficit, similarly to caloric restriction or fasting-mimicking diets. A growing body of evidence highlights mitochondria as the central target of this supplement: it promotes mitochondrial biogenesis and the activation of antioxidant defence systems in different physiological (e.g., exercise or ageing) or pathological conditions (e.g., sarcopenia, muscular dystrophy, liver steatosis, or impaired cognition). Based on these results, new formulas have been created enriched with Krebs cycle substrates, behaving more efficiently than BCAA enriched mixture. SUMMARY: EAA-BCAA balanced supplements might be valuable not only for healthy individuals undergoing to energy deficit (e.g., athletes) during strenuous exercise or training but also against diseases characterized by a dysregulated catabolic state or mitochondrial dysfunction, such as age-related disorders. The associated mechanistic processes should be identified as potential pharmacological targets.
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Aminoácidos de Cadeia Ramificada , Aminoácidos Essenciais , Aminoácidos de Cadeia Ramificada/metabolismo , Animais , Metabolismo Energético , Humanos , Camundongos , Mitocôndrias/metabolismo , Estresse OxidativoRESUMO
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, clinicians have tried every effort to fight the disease, and multiple drugs have been proposed. However, no proven effective therapies currently exist, and different clinical phenotypes complicate the situation. In clinical practice, many severe or critically ill COVID-19 patients developed gastrointestinal (GI) disturbances, including vomiting, diarrhoea, or abdominal pain, even in the absence of cough and dyspnea. Understanding the mechanism of GI disturbances is warranted for exploring better clinical care for COVID-19 patients. With evidence collected from clinical studies on COVID-19 and basic research on a rare genetic disease (i.e., Hartnup disorder), we put forward a novel hypothesis to elaborate an effective nutritional therapy. We hypothesize that SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, binding to intestinal angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, negatively regulates the absorption of neutral amino acids, and this could explain not only the GI, but also systemic disturbances in COVID-19. Amino acid supplements could be recommended.Level of evidence No level of evidence: Hypothesis article.
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Aminoácidos/administração & dosagem , COVID-19/complicações , Gastroenteropatias/etiologia , Doença de Hartnup/metabolismo , Enzima de Conversão de Angiotensina 2 , COVID-19/epidemiologia , Absorção Gastrointestinal , Doença de Hartnup/complicações , Humanos , Intestino Delgado/fisiologia , Pandemias , SARS-CoV-2 , Glicoproteína da Espícula de CoronavírusRESUMO
Neural stem cell (NSC) neuronal differentiation requires a metabolic shift towards oxidative phosphorylation. We now show that a branched-chain amino acids-driven, persistent metabolic shift toward energy metabolism is required for full neuronal maturation. We increased energy metabolism of differentiating neurons derived both from murine NSCs and human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by supplementing the cell culture medium with a mixture composed of branched-chain amino acids, essential amino acids, TCA cycle precursors and co-factors. We found that treated differentiating neuronal cells with enhanced energy metabolism increased: i) total dendritic length; ii) the mean number of branches and iii) the number and maturation of the dendritic spines. Furthermore, neuronal spines in treated neurons appeared more stable with stubby and mushroom phenotype and with increased expression of molecules involved in synapse formation. Treated neurons modified their mitochondrial dynamics increasing the mitochondrial fusion and, consistently with the increase of cellular ATP content, they activated cellular mTORC1 dependent p70S6 K1 anabolism. Global transcriptomic analysis further revealed that treated neurons induce Nrf2 mediated gene expression. This was correlated with a functional increase in the Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) scavenging mechanisms. In conclusion, persistent branched-chain amino acids-driven metabolic shift toward energy metabolism enhanced neuronal differentiation and antioxidant defences. These findings offer new opportunities to pharmacologically modulate NSC neuronal differentiation and to develop effective strategies for treating neurodegenerative diseases.
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Aminoácidos de Cadeia Ramificada/farmacologia , Diferenciação Celular/fisiologia , Metabolismo Energético/efeitos dos fármacos , Células-Tronco Neurais/fisiologia , Trifosfato de Adenosina/metabolismo , Animais , Diferenciação Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Proliferação de Células/efeitos dos fármacos , Espinhas Dendríticas/efeitos dos fármacos , Espinhas Dendríticas/ultraestrutura , Humanos , Células-Tronco Pluripotentes Induzidas/efeitos dos fármacos , Alvo Mecanístico do Complexo 1 de Rapamicina/metabolismo , Camundongos , Mitocôndrias/efeitos dos fármacos , Mitocôndrias/ultraestrutura , Células-Tronco Neurais/efeitos dos fármacos , Células-Tronco Neurais/metabolismo , Neurogênese/efeitos dos fármacos , Espécies Reativas de Oxigênio/metabolismo , Sinapses/genética , Sinapses/fisiologia , Sinapses/ultraestrutura , TranscriptomaRESUMO
Chronic alcohol consumption promotes mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, defective protein metabolism, and fat accumulation in hepatocytes (liver steatosis). Inadequate amino acid metabolism is worsened by protein malnutrition, frequently present in alcohol-consuming patients, with reduced circulating branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). Here we asked whether dietary supplementation with a specific amino acid mixture, enriched in BCAAs (BCAAem) and able to promote mitochondrial function in muscle of middle-aged rodents, would prevent mitochondrial dysfunction and liver steatosis in Wistar rats fed on a Lieber-DeCarli ethanol (EtOH)-containing liquid diet. Supplementation of BCAAem, unlike a mixture based on the amino acid profile of casein, abrogated the EtOH-induced fat accumulation, mitochondrial impairment, and oxidative stress in liver. These effects of BCAAem were accompanied by normalization of leucine, arginine, and tryptophan levels, which were reduced in liver of EtOH-consuming rats. Moreover, although the EtOH exposure of HepG2 cells reduced mitochondrial DNA, mitochondrial transcription factors, and respiratory chain proteins, the BCAAem but not casein-derived amino acid supplementation halted this mitochondrial toxicity. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide levels and sirtuin 1 (Sirt1) expression, as well as endothelial nitric oxide (eNOS) and mammalian/mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathways, were downregulated in the EtOH-exposed HepG2 cells. BCAAem reverted these molecular defects and the mitochondrial dysfunction, suggesting that the mitochondrial integrity obtained with the amino acid supplementation could be mediated through a Sirt1-eNOS-mTOR pathway. Thus a dietary activation of the mitochondrial biogenesis and function by a specific amino acid supplement protects against the EtOH toxicity and preserves the liver integrity in mammals. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Dietary supplementation of a specific amino acid formula prevents both fat accumulation and mitochondrial dysfunction in hepatocytes of alcohol-consuming rats. These effects are accompanied also by increased expression of anti-reactive oxygen species genes. The amino acid-protective effects likely reflect activation of sirtuin 1-endothelial nitric oxide synthase-mammalian target of rapamycin pathway able to regulate the cellular energy balance of hepatocytes exposed to chronic, alcoholic damage.
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Consumo de Bebidas Alcoólicas/efeitos adversos , Aminoácidos de Cadeia Ramificada , Fígado Gorduroso , Mitocôndrias , Doenças Mitocondriais , Consumo de Bebidas Alcoólicas/metabolismo , Aminoácidos de Cadeia Ramificada/metabolismo , Aminoácidos de Cadeia Ramificada/farmacologia , Animais , Suplementos Nutricionais , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Metabolismo Energético/fisiologia , Fígado Gorduroso/etiologia , Fígado Gorduroso/metabolismo , Fígado Gorduroso/prevenção & controle , Células Hep G2 , Hepatócitos/efeitos dos fármacos , Hepatócitos/metabolismo , Humanos , Fígado/metabolismo , Fígado/patologia , Mitocôndrias/efeitos dos fármacos , Mitocôndrias/fisiologia , Doenças Mitocondriais/induzido quimicamente , Doenças Mitocondriais/metabolismo , Doenças Mitocondriais/prevenção & controle , NAD/metabolismo , Óxido Nítrico Sintase Tipo III/metabolismo , Estresse Oxidativo/efeitos dos fármacos , Ratos , Ratos Wistar , Espécies Reativas de Oxigênio/metabolismoAssuntos
Infecções por Coronavirus/fisiopatologia , Embolia Gordurosa/virologia , Obesidade/complicações , Pneumonia Viral/fisiopatologia , Enzima de Conversão de Angiotensina 2 , Betacoronavirus , COVID-19 , Infecções por Coronavirus/mortalidade , Infecções por Coronavirus/terapia , Progressão da Doença , Embolia Gordurosa/mortalidade , Embolia Gordurosa/fisiopatologia , Humanos , Obesidade/fisiopatologia , Obesidade/terapia , Pandemias , Peptidil Dipeptidase A/metabolismo , Pneumonia Viral/mortalidade , Pneumonia Viral/terapia , SARS-CoV-2RESUMO
PURPOSE: Over the last decades, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in elementary school children has steadily increased worldwide. This phenomenon is also linked to food habits. The main purpose of our study was to understand the role that environmental factors may play in this context; in particular, we investigated how and to what extent family food habits and children lifestyle are associated with the spread of children obesity. METHODS: One hundred and nine primary schools, with 6-11-year-old children (n = 14,500), were recruited for this cross-sectional study in Milan (Italy). Children anthropometric data were measured and reported by parents; citizenship, fruit and vegetable consumption data of both parents and children were collected. Time spent watching television and doing physical activity was also investigated in children. RESULTS: The study revealed that children's vegetable (not fruit) consumption was positively associated with physical activity, while negatively associated with time watching TV; in particular, fewer hours spent watching television were a stronger protective factor than more hours spent doing physical activity. Moreover, the parental feeding style was associated with children's attitudes toward consumption of fruit and vegetable. Family characteristics (family size and level of parents' education) and children gender were associated to the risk of being overweight/obese. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the relevance of environmental factors in childhood food consumption and BMI distribution among children in an urban city. This is the reason why we stress the need to design ad hoc interventions, which should be developed in accordance with the socio-economic peculiarities of a cosmopolitan city suburb.
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Comportamento Alimentar/fisiologia , Estilo de Vida , Atividade Motora/fisiologia , Obesidade Infantil/etiologia , Televisão , Adulto , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Humanos , Itália , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Pais , Obesidade Infantil/epidemiologia , Prevalência , Fatores de Risco , População Urbana , Adulto JovemRESUMO
Endurance exercise training increases cardiac energy metabolism through poorly understood mechanisms. Nitric oxide (NO) produced by endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) in cardiomyocytes contributes to cardiac adaptation. Here we demonstrate that the NO donor diethylenetriamine-NO (DETA-NO) activated mitochondrial biogenesis and function, as assessed by upregulated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α), nuclear respiratory factor 1, and mitochondrial transcription factor A (Tfam) expression, and by increased mitochondrial DNA content and citrate synthase activity in primary mouse cardiomyocytes. DETA-NO also induced mitochondrial biogenesis and function and enhanced both basal and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in HL-1 cardiomyocytes. The DETA-NO-mediated effects were suppressed by either PGC-1α or Tfam small-interference RNA in HL-1 cardiomyocytes. Wild-type and eNOS(-/-) mice were subjected to 6 wk graduated swim training. We found that eNOS expression, mitochondrial biogenesis, mitochondrial volume density and number, and both basal and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake were increased in left ventricles of swim-trained wild-type mice. On the contrary, the genetic deletion of eNOS prevented all these adaptive phenomena. Our findings demonstrate that exercise training promotes eNOS-dependent mitochondrial biogenesis in heart, which behaves as an essential step in cardiac glucose transport.
Assuntos
Adaptação Fisiológica/fisiologia , Metabolismo dos Carboidratos/fisiologia , Glucose/metabolismo , Renovação Mitocondrial/fisiologia , Miocárdio/metabolismo , Óxido Nítrico Sintase Tipo III/metabolismo , Condicionamento Físico Animal/fisiologia , Adaptação Fisiológica/efeitos dos fármacos , Animais , Metabolismo dos Carboidratos/efeitos dos fármacos , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/genética , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/metabolismo , Coração/efeitos dos fármacos , Proteínas de Grupo de Alta Mobilidade/genética , Proteínas de Grupo de Alta Mobilidade/metabolismo , Camundongos , Camundongos Knockout , Mitocôndrias/efeitos dos fármacos , Mitocôndrias/metabolismo , Renovação Mitocondrial/efeitos dos fármacos , Miócitos Cardíacos/efeitos dos fármacos , Miócitos Cardíacos/metabolismo , Óxido Nítrico Sintase Tipo III/genética , Fator 1 Nuclear Respiratório/genética , Fator 1 Nuclear Respiratório/metabolismo , Coativador 1-alfa do Receptor gama Ativado por Proliferador de Peroxissomo , Fatores de Transcrição/genética , Fatores de Transcrição/metabolismo , Triazenos/farmacologiaRESUMO
Background: The regulation of divalent metal transporter-1 (DMT1) by insulin has been previously described in Langerhans cells and significant neuroprotection was found by insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1 treatment during experimental cerebral ischemia in acute ischemic stroke patients and in a rat 6-OHDA model of Parkinson's disease, where DMT1 involvement is described. According to the regulation of DMT1, previously described as a target gene of NF-kB in the early phase of post-ischemic neurodegeneration, both in vitro and in vivo, and because insulin controls the NFkB signaling with protection from ischemic cell death in rat cardiomyocytes, we evaluated the role of insulin in relation to DMT1 expression and function during ischemic neurodegeneration. Methods: Insulin neuroprotection is evaluated in differentiated human neuroblastoma cells, SK-N-SH, and in primary mouse cortical neurons exposed to oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) for 8 h or 3 h, respectively, with or without 300 nM insulin. The insulin neuroprotection during OGD was evaluated in both cellular models in terms of cell death, and in SK-N-SH for DMT1 protein expression and acute ferrous iron treatment, performed in acidic conditions, known to promote the maximum DMT1 uptake as a proton co-transporter; and the transactivation of 1B/DMT1 mouse promoter, already known to be responsive to NF-kB, was analyzed in primary mouse cortical neurons. Results: Insulin neuroprotection during OGD was concomitant to the down-regulation of both DMT1 protein expression and 1B/DMT1 mouse promoter transactivation. We also showed the insulin-dependent protection from cell death after acute ferrous iron treatment. In conclusion, although preliminary, this evaluation highlights the peculiar role of DMT1 as a possible pharmacological target, involved in neuroprotection by insulin during in vitro neuronal ischemia and acute ferrous iron uptake.
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Proteínas de Transporte de Cátions , Morte Celular , Regulação para Baixo , Insulina , Neurônios , Animais , Insulina/metabolismo , Insulina/farmacologia , Humanos , Proteínas de Transporte de Cátions/metabolismo , Proteínas de Transporte de Cátions/genética , Camundongos , Morte Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Neurônios/metabolismo , Neurônios/efeitos dos fármacos , Regulação para Baixo/efeitos dos fármacos , Neuroproteção/efeitos dos fármacos , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Fármacos Neuroprotetores/farmacologia , Ferro/metabolismo , Isquemia Encefálica/metabolismo , Isquemia Encefálica/tratamento farmacológico , Isquemia Encefálica/patologia , Glucose/metabolismo , Compostos Ferrosos/farmacologiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Since white adipose tissue (WAT) lacks parasympathetic cholinergic innervation, the source of the acetylcholine (ACh) acting on white adipocyte cholinergic receptors is unknown. This study was designed to identify ACh-producing cells in mouse and human visceral WAT and to determine whether a non-neuronal cholinergic system becomes activated in obese inflamed WAT. METHODS: Mouse epididymal WAT (eWAT) and human omental fat were studied in normal and obese subjects. The expression of the key molecules involved in cholinergic signaling was evaluated by qRT-PCR and western blotting whereas their tissue distribution and cellular localization were investigated by immunohistochemistry, confocal microscopy and in situ hybridization. ACh levels were measured by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. The cellular effects of ACh were assessed in cultured human multipotent adipose-derived stem cell (hMADS) adipocytes. RESULTS: In mouse eWAT, diet-induced obesity modulated the expression of key cholinergic molecular components and, especially, raised the expression of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), the ACh-synthesizing enzyme, which was chiefly detected in interstitial macrophages, in macrophages forming crown-like structures (CLSs), and in multinucleated giant cells (MGCs). The stromal vascular fraction of obese mouse eWAT contained significantly higher ACh and choline levels than that of control mice. ChAT was undetectable in omental fat from healthy subjects, whereas it was expressed in a number of interstitial macrophages, CLSs, and MGCs from some obese individuals. In hMADS adipocytes stressed with tumor necrosis factor α, ACh, alone or combined with rivastigmine, significantly blunted monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 and interleukin 6 expression, it partially but significantly, restored adiponectin and GLUT4 expression, and promoted glucose uptake. CONCLUSIONS: In mouse and human visceral WAT, obesity induces activation of a macrophage-dependent non-neuronal cholinergic system that is capable of exerting anti-inflammatory and insulin-sensitizing effects on white adipocytes.
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Tecido Adiposo Branco , Sistema Colinérgico não Neuronal , Humanos , Camundongos , Animais , Camundongos Obesos , Tecido Adiposo Branco/metabolismo , Obesidade/metabolismo , Colinérgicos/metabolismoRESUMO
AIMS: The study aims to assess the prevalence of obesity, overweight and underweight in children enrolled in government primary schools (6-11 years of age) in the city of Milan, Italy. METHODS: One hundred and nine schools were randomly selected for the study. A cross-sectional study was conducted between March and June 2008. A survey was conducted using 16,588 questionnaires completed by parents. Anthropometric data (reported) of both parents and children and information on levels of physical activity and time children spent watching television (TV) were obtained. RESULTS: In the total sample, parents are predominantly (75.0 %) of normal weight (M: 55.2 %; F: 79.1 %), 16.8 % are overweight (M: 36.9 %; F: 12.6 %), 4.0 % are obese (M: 6.6 %; F: 3.5 %) and 4.2 % are underweight (M: 1.3 %; F: 4.8 %). Among children, 68.7 % are of normal weight (M: 68.2 %; F: 69.2 %), 14.7 % are overweight (M: 15.3 %; F: 14.2 %), 4 % are obese (M: 4.5 %; F: 3.4 %), 11.8 % are underweight (M: 11.2 %; F: 12.5 %) and 0.8 % are severely thin (M: 0.9 %; F: 0.7 %). Children practice physical activity once or twice/week (48.3 %), three to four times/week (38.9 %) or five to seven times/week (8.9 %), while 3.9 % of children do not do any exercise. Most children (85.3 %) watch TV from 30 min to 2 h/day. CONCLUSION: Contrary to the reported national average, the study shows the presence of only moderate levels of above-average weight and obesity among children. However, it remains important to monitor this phenomenon to raise awareness and to design programs of prevention throughout the country.
Assuntos
Sobrepeso/epidemiologia , Obesidade Infantil/epidemiologia , Magreza/epidemiologia , Índice de Massa Corporal , Peso Corporal , Criança , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Inquéritos Epidemiológicos , Humanos , Itália/epidemiologia , Estilo de Vida , Masculino , Prevalência , Fatores de Risco , Instituições Acadêmicas , Inquéritos e QuestionáriosRESUMO
Mitochondrial dysfunction plays a key role in the aging process, and aging is a strong risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases or brain injury characterized by impairment of mitochondrial function. Among these, ischemic stroke is one of the leading causes of death and permanent disability worldwide. Pharmacological approaches for its prevention and therapy are limited. Although non-pharmacological interventions such as physical exercise, which promotes brain mitochondrial biogenesis, have been shown to exert preventive effects against ischemic stroke, regular feasibility is complex in older people, and nutraceutical strategies could be valuable alternatives. We show here that dietary supplementation with a balanced essential amino acid mixture (BCAAem) increased mitochondrial biogenesis and the endogenous antioxidant response in the hippocampus of middle-aged mice to an extent comparable to those elicited by treadmill exercise training, suggesting BCAAem as an effective exercise mimetic on brain mitochondrial health and disease prevention. In vitro BCAAem treatment directly exerted mitochondrial biogenic effects and induced antioxidant enzyme expression in primary mouse cortical neurons. Further, exposure to BCAAem protected cortical neurons from the ischemic damage induced by an in vitro model of cerebral ischemia (oxygen-glucose deprivation, OGD). BCAAem-mediated protection against OGD was abolished in the presence of rapamycin, Torin-1, or L-NAME, indicating the requirement of both mTOR and eNOS signaling pathways in the BCAAem effects. We propose BCAAem supplementation as an alternative to physical exercise to prevent brain mitochondrial derangements leading to neurodegeneration and as a nutraceutical intervention aiding recovery after cerebral ischemia in conjunction with conventional drugs.