Showing papers by "Peter Arner published in 1998"

Leptin secretion from subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue in women.

Abstract: Upper body obesity is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Little is known about the regulation of body fat distribution, but leptin may be involved. This study examined the secretion of leptin in subcutaneous and omental fat tissue in 15 obese and 8 nonobese women. Leptin secretion rates were two to three times higher in subcutaneous than in omental fat tissue in both obese and nonobese women (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.001, respectively). There was a positive correlation between BMI and leptin secretion rates in both subcutaneous (r = 0.87, P < 0.0001) and omental (r = 0.74, P < 0.0001) fat tissue. Furthermore, leptin secretion rates in subcutaneous and omental fat tissue correlated well with serum leptin levels (r = 0.84, P < 0.0001 and r = 0.73, P = 0.001, respectively), although in multivariate analysis, the subcutaneous leptin secretion rate was the major regressor for serum leptin (F = 42). Subcutaneous fat cells were approximately 50% larger than omental fat cells, and there was a positive correlation between fat cell size and leptin secretion rate in both fat depots (r = 0.8, P < 0.01). Leptin (but not gamma-actin) mRNA levels were twofold higher in subcutaneous than in omental fat tissue (P < 0.05). Thus the subcutaneous fat depot is the major source of leptin in women owing to the combination of a mass effect (subcutaneous fat being the major depot) and a higher secretion rate in the subcutaneous than in the visceral region, which in turn could be due to increased cell size and leptin gene expression.

Regional difference in insulin inhibition of non-esterified fatty acid release from human adipocytes: relation to insulin receptor phosphorylation and intracellular signalling through the insulin receptor substrate-1 pathway.

Abstract: Increased mobilization of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) from visceral as opposed to peripheral fat depots can lead to metabolic disturbances because of the direct portal link between visceral fat and the liver. Compared with peripheral fat, visceral fat shows a decreased response to insulin. The mechanisms behind these site variations were investigated by comparing insulin action on NEFA metabolism with insulin receptor signal transduction through the insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) pathway in omental (visceral) and subcutaneous human fat obtained during elective surgery. Insulin inhibited lipolysis and stimulated NEFA re-esterification. This was counteracted by wortmannin, an inhibitor of phosphaditylinositol (PI) 3-kinase. The effects of insulin on antilipolysis and NEFA re-esterification were greatly reduced in omental fat cells. Insulin receptor binding capacity, mRNA and protein expression did not differ between the cell types. Insulin was four times more effective in stimulating tyrosine phosporylation of the insulin receptor in subcutaneous fat cells (p < 0.001). Similarly, insulin was two to three times more effective in stimulating tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS-1 in subcutaneous fat cells (p < 0.01). This finding could be explained by finding that IRS-1 protein expression was reduced by 50 ± 8 % in omental fat cells (p < 0.01). In omental fat cells, maximum insulin-stimulated association of the p85 kDa subunit of PI 3-kinase to phosphotyrosine proteins and phosphotyrosine associated PI 3-kinase activity were both reduced by 50 % (p < 0.05 or better). Thus, the ability of insulin to induce antilipolysis and stimulate NEFA re-esterification is reduced in visceral adipocytes. This reduction can be explained by reduced insulin receptor autophosphorylation and signal transduction through an IRS-1 associated PI 3-kinase pathway in visceral adipocytes. [Diabetologia (1998) 41: 1343–1354]

Adipose tissue secretion of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 in non-obese and obese individuals

Abstract: High plasma plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) activity is a frequent finding in obesity, and both PAI-1 and obesity are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. To study the mechanisms underlying increased PAI-1 levels in obese individuals, gene expression and secretion of PAI-1 were measured in human abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue. A total of 32 obese, otherwise healthy subjects and 10 never-obese healthy subjects with a body mass index (BMI) of 42.6 ± 1.2 and 24.3 ± 1.9 kg/m2 (mean ± SEM), respectively, were investigated. Plasma PAI-1 activity, adipose tissue PAI-1 secretion and adipocyte PAI-1 mRNA levels were increased sevenfold (p < 0.0001), sixfold (p < 0.0001) and twofold (p < 0.05), respectively, in the obese group. There were clear associations between adipose tissue secretion of PAI-1 and PAI-1 mRNA levels on the one hand and fat cell volume on the other (r = 0.68, p < 0.0001 and r = 0.51, p < 0.01, respectively, in the obese group). PAI-1 mRNA levels were also related to the amount of PAI-1 secreted among obese individuals (r = 0.31, p = 0.09). It is concluded that adipose tissue secretes significant amounts of PAI-1, that PAI-1 secretion from adipose tissue is increased in obesity, and that PAI-1 secretion is related to the lipid content and cell volume of fat cells. Plasma PAI-1 activity is elevated in obesity, at least in part due to increased gene expression in adipocytes, which, in turn, enhances PAI-1 secretion from adipose tissue. [Diabetologia (1998) 41: 65–71]

The Adipocyte, Fatty Acid Trapping, and Atherogenesis

Abstract: Much effort has been spent to identify the factors that contribute to coronary artery disease. Not surprisingly, adipose tissue has gained little attention to date in this search because no immediate and critical links between adipocyte metabolism and atherogenesis may be evident to most people. But coronary artery disease is a public health problem only in societies with high fatty acid intakes; therefore, our purpose is to outline a hypothesis that adipose tissue dysfunction may be a very common—indeed, perhaps even the most common— cause of the dyslipoproteinemia and insulin resistance that so frequently lead to coronary disease. This complex and multifaceted syndrome has received many names, depending on the original point of interest. Amongst these names are hyperapoB, 1 familial combined hyperlipidemia, 2 syndrome X, 3 the plurimetabolic syndrome, 4 the visceral fat syndrome, 5 familial dyslipidemic hypertension, 6 the atherogenic lipoprotein phenotype, 7 and the deadly quartet. 8 Whether these titles are different names for the same disorder or different disorders with similar features is not clear; but it is the pathophysiology of their common features on which we will concentrate. Among the most important of these features are increased numbers of the smaller, denser LDL particles, postprandial hyperlipemia, hypertriglyceridemia, low HDL cholesterol, high fasting and postprandial fatty acid levels, and insulin resistance. Until now, excess release of fatty acids from adipocytes caused by increased lipolysis 9 has been the only mechanism suggested to link adipocyte dysfunction and dyslipidemia. In our opinion, although excess lipolysis may be of importance in certain situations, it is not likely to be the sole link between adipose tissue dysfunction and atherosclerosis. The hypothesis that will be outlined herein differs substantially from the current views and is based on the metabolic insights that have been gained from the recent recognition of the ASP pathway. 10 Along with insulin, ASP is a principal determinant of the rate of triglyceride synthesis in adipocytes 11 and therefore is a principal determinant of the rate of fatty acid uptake or, as we shall describe it herein, fatty acid trapping by adipocytes. In brief, we postulate that failure to trap the normal proportion of dietary fatty acids in adipocytes leads to their abnormal diversion to liver and muscle, and from this abnormal diversion stems the complex array of metabolic alterations listed above that so markedly increase the risk of vascular disease in these patients.

Various phosphodiesterase subtypes mediate the in vivo antilipolytic effect of insulin on adipose tissue and skeletal muscle in man

Abstract: The antilipolytic effect of insulin on human abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue and skeletal muscle during local inhibition of cAMP-phosphodiesterases (PDEs) was investigated in vivo, by combining microdialysis with a euglycaemic, hyperinsulinaemic clamp. During hyperinsulinaemia, the glycerol concentration decreased by 40 % in fat and by 33 % in muscle. Addition of the selective PDE3-inhibitor amrinone abolished the insulin-induced decrease in adipose glycerol concentration, but did not influence the glycerol concentration in skeletal muscle. Nor did the PDE4-selective inhibitor rolipram or the PDE5-selective inhibitor dipyridamole influence the insulin-induced decrease in muscle tissue glycerol. However, the non-selective PDE-inhibitor theophylline counteracted the antilipolytic action of insulin at both sites. The specific activity of PDEs was also determined in both tissues. PDE3-activity was 36.8 ± 6.4 pmol × min–1× mg–1 in adipose tissue and 3.9 ± 0.5 pmol × min–1× mg–1 in muscle. PDE4-activity in skeletal muscle was high, i. e., 60.7 ± 10.2 pmol × min–1× mg–1 but 8.5 pmol × min–1× mg–1 or less in adipose tissue. In conclusion, insulin inhibits lipolysis in adipose tissue and skeletal muscle by activation of different PDEs, suggesting a unique metabolic role of muscle lipolysis. [Diabetologia (1998) 41: 560–568]

The putative role of the hormone-sensitive lipase gene in the pathogenesis of Type II diabetes mellitus and abdominal obesity.

Abstract: Impaired lipolysis has been proposed as a pathogenic factor contributing to clustering of abdominal obesity and dyslipidaemia in Type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus – that is, the metabolic syndrome (MSDR). As this syndrome clusters in families, alterations in the hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) gene could contribute to the genetic predisposition to MSDR. To test this hypothesis we carried out population and intrafamily association studies in individuals with MSDR, using a polymorphic marker (LIPE) in the HSL gene. There was a significant difference in allele frequency distribution between 235 Type II diabetic patients and 146 control subjects (p = 0.002), particularly between 78 abdominally obese Type II diabetic patients with MSDR and the control group (p = 0.010). An extended transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) showed transmission disequilibrium of 66 alleles to 42 nondiabetic, abdominally obese offspring in families with Type II diabetes (p < 0.05). A slight difference in allele frequency distribution was seen between 71 individuals from the lowest and 71 from the highest tertile of isoprenaline-induced lipolysis in fat tissue (p = 0.07). No missense mutations were found with single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) in 20 abdominally obese subjects with MSDR. In conclusion, our population and intrafamily association studies suggest that the LIPE marker in the HSL gene is in linkage disequilibrium with an allele and/or gene which increases susceptibility to abdominal obesity and thereby possibly to Type II diabetes. [Diabetologia (1998) 41: 1516–1522]

β-Adrenergic regulation of lipolysis and blood flow in human skeletal muscle in vivo

Abstract: Little is known about the regulation of catecholamine-stimulated lipolysis in human skeletal muscle. Therefore, β-adrenergic regulation of lipolysis and blood flow was investigated in healthy subje...

Reduced gene expression of UCP2 but not UCP3 in skeletal muscle of human obese subjects.

Abstract: Massive overweight is an increasing health problem and underlies several complications which in turn result in premature death. The mechanisms underlying the imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure, that lead to obesity in humans, are still only partly understood. In rodents, heat generation and the burning of calories by the mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) are important for metabolic control. However, UCP1 is exclusively expressed in brown fat which is only present in limited amounts in human adults. The recent characterization of two new uncoupling proteins, UCP2 and UCP3, may elucidate potentially important pathways for energy expenditure regulation in man. The aim of this study was to investigate whether obesity is accompanied by aberrations in UCP2 and UCP3 regulation. Expression of these two genes was examined using in situ hybridization in six lean and six obese, but otherwise healthy, men. The UCP2 expression was decreased by 28 % (p = 0.001) in the abdominal muscle of the obese subjects. No differences in UCP3 expression were observed between obese and control subjects, although there was great variation in the expression between subjects. In conclusion, these data suggest an impaired activity of the mitochondrial uncoupling protein UCP2, but probably not UCP3, in obese subjects. This may result in decreased energy expenditure and contribute to the development and maintenance of obesity. [Diabetologia (1998) 41: 935–939]

Adipose tissue metabolism in the postprandial period: microdialysis and arteriovenous techniques compared.

Abstract: We investigated whether two different methods of studying metabolism in adipose tissue, microdialysis and the arteriovenous technique, produced comparable results during the postprandial period. Interstitial glycerol concentrations measured by microdialysis are usually used as an index of intracellular lipolysis, and it is not known whether they also reflect the intravascular action of lipoprotein lipase in the postprandial period. The two techniques were compared in 10 healthy subjects fed mixed meals. Interstitial glycerol concentrations reflected those measured in adipose tissue venous plasma. However, the calculation of the rate of glycerol release from adipose tissue using the microdialysis data differed systematically from that using arteriovenous difference measurement. The former method gave, on average, 40% lower values than the latter one. The difference is probably due to the assumptions that had to be made for the calculation of glycerol release. The two techniques have complementary places in the study of postprandial adipose tissue metabolism, with microdialysis reflecting intracellular hormone-sensitive lipase action rather than intravascular lipoprotein lipase.

Lipolysis and lactate production in human skeletal muscle and adipose tissue following glucose ingestion

Abstract: 1. Using microdialysis, we compared lipolysis, as well as the production of lactate, in human adipose tissue and muscle after the ingestion of carbohydrate. 2. The absolute concentrations of glycerol and lactate were measured in subcutaneous adipose tissue, skeletal muscle and arterialized venous blood in eight normal subjects during basal conditions and 4 h after a 75 g oral glucose load. Nutritive blood flow in muscle and adipose tissue was monitored simultaneously with the microdialysis ethanol clearance technique. 3. At baseline, the concentrations of glycerol in adipose tissue and in muscle were about 7 times and about 2.5 times higher respectively than those in plasma. After glucose ingestion, the changes in glycerol concentrations differed significantly between the three compartments (P < 0.0001). In plasma and adipose tissue, the concentrations decreased rapidly and markedly, but returned to baseline levels after 4 h. In muscle, the decrease in glycerol was less pronounced and more protracted. 4. At baseline, the concentrations of lactate in muscle and in adipose tissue were about 3 times and about 1.5 times higher respectively than those in plasma. After the ingestion of glucose, the levels increased transiently in similar ways in muscle, adipose tissue and plasma. The differences in absolute lactate concentrations between the three compartments were maintained after the glucose load (P < 0.001). 5. Adipose tissue blood flow increased transiently after glucose ingestion, whereas muscle blood flow remained unchanged. 6. Both muscle and adipose tissue are a source of glycerol and lactate release during basal conditions and after glucose ingestion. The regulation of lactate production, but not of lipolysis, after carbohydrate ingestion is similar in the two tissues.

Peripheral fat metabolism during infusion of an exogeneous triacylglycerol emulsion

Abstract: Objective To test the hypothesis that intravenous infusion of lipid would bring about changes in adipose tissue metabolism, which would tend to spare net fat mobilization, and to attempt to identify the mediators of such responses. Design The triacylglycerol (TG) emulsion, Intralipid, was infused and metabolic changes in subcutaneous adipose tissue and forearm muscle were assessed by measurements of arterio-venous differences. Subjects Six normal male subjects aged 21-37 y, with body mass index (BMI) 23.0-25.9 kg/m2. Results Plasma TG and non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations rose during infusion as expected. The rise in systemic plasma NEFA concentration occurred despite decreased NEFA release from adipose tissue. Intralipid infusion resulted in a suppression of intracellular lipolysis in adipose tissue, by mechanisms which are not clear. Plasma leptin concentrations, measured in a search for the regulator of lipolysis, showed consistent leptin release from adipose tissue which did not change significantly with time. Conclusion The suppression of intracellular lipolysis in adipose tissue during Intralipid infusion is a new observation and may reflect a novel mechanism for regulation of fat storage.

Luminometric single step urea assay using ATP-hydrolyzing urease

Abstract: An automatic enzyme kinetic luminometric method for determination of small quantities of urea in biological fluids and in microdialysates is presented. The method is based on the ATP-hydrolyzing urease reaction [urea amidohydrolase (ATP-hydrolyzing); EC 3.5.1.45], monitored by a luciferin-luciferase ATP reaction. The assay range is 100 pmol to 50 nmol with a detection limit of 5 micromol/L in the sample, compared with detection limits of 0.1 mmol/L in earlier spectrophotometric methods. To reduce the non-urea-dependent ATPase activity (v(blank)) and to increase the urea-dependent activity, 1,2-propanediol was included. Assay conditions were optimized by multivariate analysis. Recoveries of urea added to blood dialysate and plasma were 96-103%. No analytical interference of common metabolites, drugs, or other additives was observed. The total CVs (6 days and six concentrations, 1.2-21.8 mmol/L) were 3.6-8.5%. The results obtained with the present assay were highly correlated for dialysate (r = 0.979) and for plasma (r = 0.978) with those obtained by a spectrophotometric kit method with slopes of 1.02-1.03 and intercepts of 0.08-0.23 mmol/L.

Effect of growth hormone treatment on insulin action in adipocytes from children with Prader-Willi syndrome

Abstract: Objective: To study the effect of growth hormone (GH) treatment (2‐4 months) on insulin action in adipocytes isolated from children with Prader‐Willi syndrome (PWS), in whom GH deficiency appears to be a primary defect. We investigated the complex effects of GH on carbohydrate metabolism, as part of a current clinical trial of GH treatment in children with PWS. Methods: Biopsies of subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue were obtained from 12 children with PWS before and after 2‐4 months of GH treatment. Lipogenesis was determined by the incorporation of radiolabelled glucose into lipids in isolated adipocytes, and glycerol release to the incubation medium was used as an index of lipolysis. GLUT4 RNA was measured by solution hybridization. Results: With low glucose concentrations, at which glucose transport is rate-limiting, maximal insulininduced lipogenesis was increased by 120% after GH treatment (P < 0.05), but the sensitivity to insulin (half-maximum effective hormone concentration) was unchanged. This was not accompanied by a significant change in the RNA expression of GLUT4. Neither responsiveness (maximum effect) nor sensitivity of insulin-induced inhibition of lipolysis was affected by GH treatment. Conclusions: GH treatment of children with PWS results in an upregulation of insulin-induced lipogenesis in isolated adipocytes, with no effect on insulin-induced inhibition of lipolysis. The data suggest that the site of the effect of GH on lipogenesis is distal to the insulin hormone‐receptor interaction, but does not involve altered GLUT4 expression.

Leptin Secretion From Subcutaneous and Vi s c e r a l Adipose Tissue in Wo m e n

Abstract: Upper body obesity is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Little is known about the regulation of body fat distribution, but leptin may be involved. This study examined the secretion of leptin in subcutaneous and omental fat tissue in 15 obese and 8 nonobese women. Leptin secretion rates were two to three times higher in subcutaneous than in omental fat tissue in both obese and nonobese women (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.001, respectively). There was a positive correlation between BMI and leptin secretion rates in both subcutaneous (r = 0.87, P < 0.0001) and omental (r = 0.74, P < 0.0001) fat tissue. Furthermore, leptin secretion rates in subcutaneous and omental fat tissue correlated well with serum leptin levels (r = 0.84, P < 0.0001 and r = 0.73, P = 0.001, respectively), although in multivariate analysis, the subcutaneous leptin secretion rate was the major regressor for serum leptin (F = 42). Subcutaneous fat cells were ~50% larger than omental fat cells, and there was a positive correlation between fat cell size and leptin secretion rate in both fat depots (r = 0.8, P < 0.01). Leptin (but not -actin) mRNA levels were twofold higher in subcutaneous than in omental fat tissue (P < 0.05). Thus the subcutaneous fat depot is the major source of leptin in women owing to the combination of a mass effect (subcutaneous fat being the major depot) and a higher secretion rate in the subcutaneous than in the visceral region, which in turn could be due to increased cell size and leptin gene expression. D i a b e t e s 47:913‐917, 1998