Samar I. Itani

Bio: Samar I. Itani is an academic researcher from Boston Medical Center. The author has contributed to research in topics: Insulin resistance & Insulin. The author has an hindex of 6, co-authored 6 publications receiving 2567 citations. Previous affiliations of Samar I. Itani include Boston University.

Lipid-Induced Insulin Resistance in Human Muscle Is Associated With Changes in Diacylglycerol, Protein Kinase C, and IκB-α

Abstract: The possibility that lipid-induced insulin resistance in human muscle is related to alterations in diacylglycerol (DAG)/protein kinase C (PKC) signaling was investigated in normal volunteers during euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamping in which plasma free fatty acid (FFA) levels were increased by a lipid/heparin infusion. In keeping with previous reports, rates of insulin-stimulated glucose disappearance (G(Rd)) were normal after 2 h but were reduced by 43% (from 52.7 +/- 8.2 to 30.0 +/- 5.3 micromol. kg(-1). min(-1), P < 0.05) after 6 h of lipid infusion. No changes in PKC activity or DAG mass were seen in muscle biopsy samples after 2 h of lipid infusion; however, at approximately 6 h, PKC activity and DAG mass were increased approximately fourfold, as were the abundance of membrane-associated PKC-betaII and -delta. A threefold increase in membrane-associated PKC-betaII was also observed at approximately 2 h but was not statistically significant (P = 0.058). Ceramide mass was not changed at either time point. To evaluate whether the fatty acid-induced insulin activation of PKC was associated with a change in the IkB kinase (IKK)/nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB pathway, we determined the abundance in muscle of IkappaB-alpha, an inhibitor of NF-kappaB that is degraded after its phosphorylation by IKK. In parallel with the changes in DAG/PKC, no change in IkappaB-alpha mass was observed after 2 h of lipid infusion, but at approximately 6 h, IkappaB-alpha was diminished by 70%. In summary, the results indicated that the insulin resistance observed in human muscle when plasma FFA levels were elevated during euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamping was associated with increases in DAG mass and membrane-associated PKC-betaII and -delta and a decrease in IkappaB-alpha. Whether acute FFA-induced insulin resistance in human skeletal muscle is caused by the activation of these specific PKC isoforms and the IKK-beta/IkappaB/NFkappaB pathway remains to be established.

Enhanced muscle fat oxidation and glucose transport by ACRP30 globular domain: Acetyl–CoA carboxylase inhibition and AMP-activated protein kinase activation

Abstract: gACRP30, the globular subunit of adipocyte complement-related protein of 30 kDa (ACRP30), improves insulin sensitivity and increases fatty acid oxidation. The mechanism by which gACRP30 exerts these effects is unknown. Here, we examined if gACRP30 activates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), an enzyme that has been shown to increase muscle fatty acid oxidation and insulin sensitivity. Incubation of rat extensor digitorum longus (EDL), a predominantly fast twitch muscle, with gACRP30 (2.5 μg/ml) for 30 min led to 2-fold increases in AMPK activity and phosphorylation of both AMPK on Thr-172 and acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC) on Ser-79. Accordingly, concentration of malonyl CoA was diminished by 30%. In addition, gACRP30 caused a 1.5-fold increase in 2-deoxyglucose uptake. Similar changes in malonyl CoA and ACC were observed in soleus muscle incubated with gACRP30 (2.5 μg/ml), although no significant changes in AMPK activity or 2-deoxyglucose uptake were detected. When EDL was incubated with full-length hexameric ACRP30 (10 μg/ml), AMPK activity and ACC phosphorylation were not altered. Administration of gACRP30 (75 μg) to C57 BL/6J mice in vivo led to increased AMPK activity and ACC phosphorylation and decreased malonyl CoA concentration in gastrocnemius muscle within 15–30 min. Both in vivo and in vitro, activation of AMPK was the first effect of gACRP30 and was transient, whereas alterations in malonyl CoA and ACC occurred later and were more sustained. Thus, gACRP30 most likely exerts its actions on muscle fatty acid oxidation by inactivating ACC via activation of AMPK and perhaps other signal transduction proteins.

Malonyl-CoA and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK): possible links between insulin resistance in muscle and early endothelial cell damage in diabetes.

Abstract: Based on available evidence, we would propose the following. (i) Excesses of glucose and free fatty acids cause insulin resistance in skeletal muscle and damage to the endothelial cell by a similar mechanism. (ii) Key pathogenetic events in this mechanism very likely include increased fatty acid esterification, protein kinase C activation, an increase in oxidative stress (demonstrated to date in endothelium) and alterations in the inhibitor kappa B kinase/nuclear factor kappa B system. (iii) Activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) inhibits all of these events and enhances insulin signalling in the endothelial cell. It also enhances insulin action in muscle; however, the mechanism by which it does so has not been well studied. (iv) The reported beneficial effects of exercise and metformin on cardiovascular disease and insulin resistance in humans could be related to the fact that they activate AMPK. (v) The comparative roles of AMPK in regulating metabolism, signalling and gene expression in muscle and endothelial cells warrant further study.

Protein kinase C modulates insulin action in human skeletal muscle

Abstract: There is good evidence from cell lines and rodents that elevated protein kinase C (PKC) overexpression/activity causes insulin resistance. Therefore, the present study determined the effects of PKC...

Glucose autoregulates its uptake in skeletal muscle: involvement of AMP-activated protein kinase.

Abstract: Preexposure to a low concentration of glucose upregulates glucose transport into skeletal muscle, whereas exposure to a high concentration of glucose has the opposite effect This autoregulatory process occurs independently of insulin, and the mechanism by which it operates is incompletely understood Activation of the energy-sensing enzyme AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has been shown to increase insulin-independent glucose transport into skeletal muscle in response to such stimuli as exercise and hypoxia In the present study, we examined whether AMPK could also mediate glucose autoregulation The activity of the α2 isoform of AMPK and 2-deoxyglucose uptake were assessed in incubated rat extensor digitorum longus muscle after preincubation for 4 h in media containing 0, 3, 6, or 25 mmol/l glucose The principal findings were as follows First, AMPK activity was highest in muscles incubated with no added glucose, and it decreased as the concentration of glucose was increased In keeping with these findings, the concentration of malonyl CoA was increased, and acetyl CoA carboxylase phosphorylation at serine 79 was decreased as the medium glucose concentration was raised Second, decreases in AMPK activity at the higher glucose concentrations correlated closely with decreases in glucose transport (2-deoxyglucose uptake), measured during a subsequent 20-min incubation at 6 mmol/l glucose ( r 2 = 093, P < 0001) Third, the decrease in AMPK activity at the higher glucose concentrations was not associated with changes in whole-tissue concentrations of creatine phosphate or adenine nucleotides; however, it did correlate with increases in the rate of glycolysis, as estimated by lactate release The results suggest that glucose autoregulates its own transport into skeletal muscle by a mechanism involving AMPK They also suggest that this autoregulatory mechanism is not paralleled by changes in whole-tissue concentrations of creatine phosphate ATP, or AMP, but they leave open the possibility that alterations in a cytosolic pool of these compounds play a regulatory role

Obesity is associated with macrophage accumulation in adipose tissue

Abstract: Obesity alters adipose tissue metabolic and endocrine function and leads to an increased release of fatty acids, hormones, and proinflammatory molecules that contribute to obesity associated complications. To further characterize the changes that occur in adipose tissue with increasing adiposity, we profiled transcript expression in perigonadal adipose tissue from groups of mice in which adiposity varied due to sex, diet, and the obesity-related mutations agouti (Ay) and obese (Lepob). We found that the expression of 1,304 transcripts correlated significantly with body mass. Of the 100 most significantly correlated genes, 30% encoded proteins that are characteristic of macrophages and are positively correlated with body mass. Immunohistochemical analysis of perigonadal, perirenal, mesenteric, and subcutaneous adipose tissue revealed that the percentage of cells expressing the macrophage marker F4/80 (F4/80+) was significantly and positively correlated with both adipocyte size and body mass. Similar relationships were found in human subcutaneous adipose tissue stained for the macrophage antigen CD68. Bone marrow transplant studies and quantitation of macrophage number in adipose tissue from macrophage-deficient (Csf1op/op) mice suggest that these F4/80+ cells are CSF-1 dependent, bone marrow-derived adipose tissue macrophages. Expression analysis of macrophage and nonmacrophage cell populations isolated from adipose tissue demonstrates that adipose tissue macrophages are responsible for almost all adipose tissue TNF-alpha expression and significant amounts of iNOS and IL-6 expression. Adipose tissue macrophage numbers increase in obesity and participate in inflammatory pathways that are activated in adipose tissues of obese individuals.

Inflammation and insulin resistance

Abstract: Over a hundred years ago, high doses of salicylates were shown to lower glucose levels in diabetic patients. This should have been an important clue to link inflammation to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes (T2D), but the antihyperglycemic and antiinflammatory effects of salicylates were not connected to the pathogenesis of insulin resistance until recently. Together with the discovery of an important role for tissue macrophages, these new findings are helping to reshape thinking about how obesity increases the risk for developing T2D and the metabolic syndrome. The evolving concept of insulin resistance and T2D as having immunological components and an improving picture of how inflammation modulates metabolism provide new opportunities for using antiinflammatory strategies to correct the metabolic consequences of excess adiposity.

Adipokines in inflammation and metabolic disease

Abstract: The worldwide epidemic of obesity has brought considerable attention to research aimed at understanding the biology of adipocytes (fat cells) and the events occurring in adipose tissue (fat) and in the bodies of obese individuals. Accumulating evidence indicates that obesity causes chronic low-grade inflammation and that this contributes to systemic metabolic dysfunction that is associated with obesity-linked disorders. Adipose tissue functions as a key endocrine organ by releasing multiple bioactive substances, known as adipose-derived secreted factors or adipokines, that have pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory activities. Dysregulated production or secretion of these adipokines owing to adipose tissue dysfunction can contribute to the pathogenesis of obesity-linked complications. In this Review, we focus on the role of adipokines in inflammatory responses and discuss their potential as regulators of metabolic function.

TLR4 links innate immunity and fatty acid–induced insulin resistance

Abstract: TLR4 is the receptor for LPS and plays a critical role in innate immunity. Stimulation of TLR4 activates proinflammatory pathways and induces cytokine expression in a variety of cell types. Inflammatory pathways are activated in tissues of obese animals and humans and play an important role in obesity-associated insulin resistance. Here we show that nutritional fatty acids, whose circulating levels are often increased in obesity, activate TLR4 signaling in adipocytes and macrophages and that the capacity of fatty acids to induce inflammatory signaling in adipose cells or tissue and macrophages is blunted in the absence of TLR4. Moreover, mice lacking TLR4 are substantially protected from the ability of systemic lipid infusion to (a) suppress insulin signaling in muscle and (b) reduce insulin-mediated changes in systemic glucose metabolism. Finally, female C57BL/6 mice lacking TLR4 have increased obesity but are partially protected against high fat diet-induced insulin resistance, possibly due to reduced inflammatory gene expression in liver and fat. Taken together, these data suggest that TLR4 is a molecular link among nutrition, lipids, and inflammation and that the innate immune system participates in the regulation of energy balance and insulin resistance in response to changes in the nutritional environment.