Assay for lipid peroxides in animal tissues by thiobarbituric acid reaction

There has been a rise in the prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), paralleling a worldwide increase in diabetes and metabolic syndrome. NAFLD, a continuum of liver abnormalities from nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), has a variable course but can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Here we review the pathogenic and clinical features of NAFLD, its major comorbidities, clinical progression and risk of complications and in vitro and animal models of NAFLD enabling refinement of therapeutic targets that can accelerate drug development. We also discuss evolving principles of clinical trial design to evaluate drug efficacy and the emerging targets for drug development that involve either single agents or combination therapies intended to arrest or reverse disease progression.

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Mechanisms of NAFLD development and therapeutic strategies

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease that arises from an imbalance in lipid metabolism and a maladaptive immune response driven by the accumulation of cholesterol-laden macrophages in the artery wall. Through the analysis of the progression and regression of atherosclerosis in animal models, there is a growing understanding that the balance of macrophages in the plaque is dynamic and that both macrophage numbers and the inflammatory phenotype influence plaque fate. In this Review, we summarize recently identified pro- and anti-inflammatory pathways that link lipid and inflammation biology with the retention of macrophages in plaques, as well as factors that have the potential to promote their egress from these sites.

/pdf/macrophages-in-atherosclerosis-a-dynamic-balance-286umctdyr.pdf

Macrophages in atherosclerosis: a dynamic balance

Elucidating the signalling mechanisms by which obesity leads to impaired insulin action is critical in the development of therapeutic strategies for the treatment of diabetes. Recently, mice deficient for S6 Kinase 1 (S6K1), an effector of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) that acts to integrate nutrient and insulin signals, were shown to be hypoinsulinaemic, glucose intolerant and have reduced β-cell mass. However, S6K1-deficient mice maintain normal glucose levels during fasting, suggesting hypersensitivity to insulin, raising the question of their metabolic fate as a function of age and diet. Here, we report that S6K1-deficient mice are protected against obesity owing to enhanced β-oxidation. However on a high fat diet, levels of glucose and free fatty acids still rise in S6K1-deficient mice, resulting in insulin receptor desensitization. Nevertheless, S6K1-deficient mice remain sensitive to insulin owing to the apparent loss of a negative feedback loop from S6K1 to insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1), which blunts S307 and S636/S639 phosphorylation; sites involved in insulin resistance. Moreover, wild-type mice on a high fat diet as well as K/K Ay and ob/ob (also known as Lep/Lep) micetwo genetic models of obesityhave markedly elevated S6K1 activity and, unlike S6K1-deficient mice, increased phosphorylation of IRS1 S307 and S636/S639. Thus under conditions of nutrient satiation S6K1 negatively regulates insulin signalling.

Absence of S6K1 protects against age- and diet-induced obesity while enhancing insulin sensitivity. [Erratum: 2004 Sept. 23, v. 431, no. 7007, p. 485.]

Proper regulation and management of energy, substrate diversity and quantity, as well as macromolecular synthesis and breakdown processes, are fundamental to cellular and organismal survival and are paramount to health. Cellular and multicellular organization are defended by the immune response, a robust and critical system through which self is distinguished from non-self, pathogenic signals are recognized and eliminated, and tissue homeostasis is safeguarded. Many layers of evolutionarily conserved interactions occur between immune response and metabolism. Proper maintenance of this delicate balance is crucial for health and has important implications for many pathological states such as obesity, diabetes, and other chronic non-communicable diseases.

Inflammation, metaflammation and immunometabolic disorders

https://aasldpubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/hep.25789

Synergistic interaction of dietary cholesterol and dietary fat in inducing experimental steatohepatitis

Dietary cholesterol exacerbates hepatic steatosis and inflammation in obese LDL receptor-deficient mice

Objective— Chronic systemic inflammation accompanies obesity and predicts development of cardiovascular disease. Dietary cholesterol has been shown to increase inflammation and atherosclerosis in LDL receptor–deficient (LDLR−/−) mice. This study was undertaken to determine whether dietary cholesterol and obesity have additive effects on inflammation and atherosclerosis. Methods and Results— LDLR−/− mice were fed chow, high-fat, high-carbohydrate (diabetogenic) diets without (DD) or with added cholesterol (DDC) for 24 weeks. Effects on adipose tissue, inflammatory markers, and atherosclerosis were studied. Despite similar weight gain between DD and DDC groups, addition of dietary cholesterol increased insulin resistance relative to DD. Adipocyte hypertrophy, macrophage accumulation, and local inflammation were observed in intraabdominal adipose tissue in DD and DDC, but were significantly higher in the DDC group. Circulating levels of the inflammatory protein serum amyloid A (SAA) were 4.4-fold higher in D...

Dietary Cholesterol Worsens Adipose Tissue Macrophage Accumulation and Atherosclerosis in Obese LDL Receptor–Deficient Mice

Obesity is characterized by adipocyte hypertrophy and macrophage accumulation in adipose tissue. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) plays a role in macrophage recruitment into adipose tissue. However, other adipocyte-derived factors, e.g., hyaluronan and serum amyloid A (SAA), can facilitate monocyte adhesion and chemotaxis, respectively. The objective was to test the potential involvement of these factors in macrophage recruitment. Differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes made hypertrophic by growth in high glucose conditions were used to study SAA and hyaluronan regulation in vitro. Two mouse models of obesity were used to study their expression in vivo. Nuclear factor-κB was upregulated and peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor (PPAR)γ was downregulated in hypertrophic 3T3-L1 cells, with increased expression of SAA3 and increased hyaluronan production. Rosiglitazone, a PPARγ agonist, reversed these changes. Hypertrophic adipocytes demonstrated overexpression of SAA3 and hyaluronan synthase 2 in vitro and in vivo in diet-induced and genetic obesity. SAA and hyaluronan existed as part of a complex matrix that increased the adhesion and retention of monocytes. This complex, purified by binding to a biotinylated hyaluronan binding protein affinity column, also showed monocyte chemotactic activity, which was dependent on the presence of SAA3 and hyaluronan but independent of MCP-1. We hypothesize that adipocyte hypertrophy leads to increased production of SAA and hyaluronan, which act in concert to recruit and retain monocytes, thereby leading to local inflammation in adipose tissue.

https://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/diabetes/56/9/2260.full.pdf

Savitha Subramanian

Papers

Synergistic interaction of dietary cholesterol and dietary fat in inducing experimental steatohepatitis

Dietary cholesterol exacerbates hepatic steatosis and inflammation in obese LDL receptor-deficient mice

Dietary Cholesterol Worsens Adipose Tissue Macrophage Accumulation and Atherosclerosis in Obese LDL Receptor–Deficient Mice

Adipocyte-derived serum amyloid A3 and hyaluronan play a role in monocyte recruitment and adhesion

Hypertriglyceridemia secondary to obesity and diabetes.