scholarly journals Inhibition of Ghrelin Activity by Receptor Antagonist [d-Lys-3] GHRP-6 Attenuates Alcohol-Induced Hepatic Steatosis by Regulating Hepatic Lipid Metabolism

Biomolecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karuna Rasineni ◽  
Jacy L. Kubik ◽  
Carol A. Casey ◽  
Kusum K. Kharbanda

Alcoholic steatosis, characterized by an accumulation of triglycerides in hepatocytes, is one of the earliest pathological changes in the progression of alcoholic liver disease. In our previous study, we showed that alcohol-induced increase in serum ghrelin levels impair insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cells. The consequent reduction in the circulating insulin levels promote adipose-derived fatty acid mobilization to ultimately contribute to hepatic steatosis. In this study, we determined whether inhibition of ghrelin activity in chronic alcohol-fed rats could improve hepatic lipid homeostasis at the pancreas–adipose–liver axis. Adult Wistar rats were fed Lieber-DeCarli control or an ethanol liquid diet for 7 weeks. At 6 weeks, a subset of rats in each group were injected with either saline or ghrelin receptor antagonist, [d-Lys-3] GHRP-6 (DLys; 9 mg/kg body weight) for 5 days and all rats were sacrificed 2 days later. DLys treatment of ethanol rats improved pancreatic insulin secretion, normalized serum insulin levels, and the adipose lipid metabolism, as evidenced by the decreased serum free fatty acids (FFA). DLys treatment of ethanol rats also significantly decreased the circulating FFA uptake, de novo hepatic fatty acid synthesis ultimately attenuating alcoholic steatosis. To summarize, inhibition of ghrelin activity reduced alcoholic steatosis by improving insulin secretion, normalizing serum insulin levels, inhibiting adipose lipolysis, and preventing fatty acid uptake and synthesis in the liver. Our studies provided new insights on the important role of ghrelin in modulating the pancreas–adipose–liver, and promoting adipocyte lipolysis and hepatic steatosis. The findings offer a therapeutic approach of not only preventing alcoholic liver injury but also treating it.

2018 ◽  
Vol 315 (2) ◽  
pp. E218-E228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Difei Wang ◽  
Huiying Cong ◽  
Xiaoli Wang ◽  
Yanli Cao ◽  
Shoichiro Ikuyama ◽  
...  

PycnogenolR (PYC), a combination of active flavonoids derived from French maritime pine bark, is a natural antioxidant that has various pharmacological activities. Here, we investigated the beneficial effect of PYC on diet-induced hepatic steatosis. Apolipoprotein E (ApoE)-deficient male mice were administered PYC at oral doses of 30 or 100 mg·kg−1·day−1 for 2 wk in advance and were then fed a high-cholesterol and -fat diet (HCD) for 8 wk. Biochemical, immunohistochemical, and gene expression analyses were conducted to explore the effect of PYC on lipid metabolism in ApoE-deficient mice on a HCD. Short-term treatment with HCD in ApoE-deficient mice induced hepatic injuries, such as lipid metabolism disorder and hepatic histopathological changes. We found that PYC reduced body weight and the increase of serum lipids that had been caused by HCD. Supplementation of PYC significantly reduced lipid deposition in the liver, as shown by the lowered hepatic lipid content and histopathological lesions. We subsequently detected genes related to lipid metabolism and inflammatory cytokines. The study showed that PYC markedly suppressed the expression of genes related to hepatic lipogenesis, fatty acid uptake, and lipid storage while increasing the lipolytic gene, which thus reduced hepatic lipid content. Furthermore, PYC mainly reduced the expression of inflammatory cytokines and the infiltration of inflammatory cells, which were resistant to the development of hepatic steatosis. These results demonstrate that PYC protects against the occurrence and development of hepatic steatosis and may provide a new prophylactic approach for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).


2010 ◽  
Vol 299 (2) ◽  
pp. E249-E257 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Faleck ◽  
K. Ali ◽  
R. Roat ◽  
M. J. Graham ◽  
R. M. Crooke ◽  
...  

The excess accumulation of lipids in islets is thought to contribute to the development of diabetes in obesity by impairing β-cell function. However, lipids also serve a nutrient function in islets, and fatty acids acutely increase insulin secretion. A better understanding of lipid metabolism in islets will shed light on complex effects of lipids on β-cells. Adipose differentiation-related protein (ADFP) is localized on the surface of lipid droplets in a wide range of cells and plays an important role in intracellular lipid metabolism. We found that ADFP was highly expressed in murine β-cells. Moreover, islet ADFP was increased in mice on a high-fat diet (3.5-fold of control) and after fasting (2.5-fold of control), revealing dynamic changes in ADFP in response to metabolic cues. ADFP expression was also increased by addition of fatty acids in human islets. The downregulation of ADFP in MIN6 cells by antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) suppressed the accumulation of triglycerides upon fatty acid loading (56% of control) along with a reduction in the mRNA levels of lipogenic genes such as diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase-2 and fatty acid synthase. Fatty acid uptake, oxidation, and lipolysis were also reduced by downregulation of ADFP. Moreover, the reduction of ADFP impaired the ability of palmitate to increase insulin secretion. These findings demonstrate that ADFP is important in regulation of lipid metabolism and insulin secretion in β-cells.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Linghuan Li ◽  
Wanfang Zheng ◽  
Can Wang ◽  
Jiameng Qi ◽  
Hanbing Li

Previous studies presented various beneficial effects of mogrosides extract from Siraitia grosvenorii, which has been included in the list of Medicine Food Homology Species in China. Mogroside V (MV) is one of the main ingredients in mogrosides extract; however, whether and how MV improves impaired lipid metabolism in the liver remains to be elucidated. Herein, we investigated the therapeutic effects of mogroside V upon hepatic steatosis in vivo and in vitro and explored the underlying mechanisms. The results showed that MV significantly ameliorated hepatic steatosis in high-fat diet- (HFD-) fed mice. Furthermore, the increased protein expression of PPAR-γ, SREBP-1, and FASN and mRNA expression of pparg, srebp1, scd1, and fasn in the liver in HFD-fed mice, which contribute to de novo lipogenesis, were dose-dependently reversed by MV treatment. Meanwhile, MV counteracted the suppressed expression of PPAR-α and CPT-1A and mRNA expression of atgl, hsl, ppara, and cpt1a, thus increasing lipolysis and fatty acid oxidation. In addition, in free fatty acids- (FFAs-) incubated LO2 cells MV downregulated de novo lipogenesis and upregulated lipolysis and fatty acid oxidation, thereby attenuating lipid accumulation, which was significantly abrogated by treatment with Compound C, an inhibitor of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Taken together, these results suggested that MV exerted a pronounced effect upon improving hepatic steatosis through regulating the disequilibrium of lipid metabolism in the liver via an AMPK-dependent pathway, providing a potential lead compound candidate for preventing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.


2017 ◽  
Vol 234 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sihan Lv ◽  
Xinchen Qiu ◽  
Jian Li ◽  
Jinye Liang ◽  
Weida Li ◽  
...  

Hormonal signals help to maintain glucose and lipid homeostasis in the liver during the periods of fasting. Glucagon, a pancreas-derived hormone induced by fasting, promotes gluconeogenesis through induction of intracellular cAMP production. Glucagon also stimulates hepatic fatty acid oxidation but the underlying mechanism is poorly characterized. Here we report that following the acute induction of gluconeogenic genes Glucose 6 phosphatase (G6Pase) and Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (Pepck) expression through cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB), glucagon triggers a second delayed phase of fatty acid oxidation genes Acyl-coenzyme A oxidase (Aox) and Carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a (Cpt1a) expression via extracellular cAMP. Increase in extracellular cAMP promotes PPARα activity through direct phosphorylation by AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), while inhibition of cAMP efflux greatly attenuates Aox and Cpt1a expression. Importantly, cAMP injection improves lipid homeostasis in fasted mice and obese mice, while inhibition of cAMP efflux deteriorates hepatic steatosis in fasted mice. Collectively, our results demonstrate the vital role of glucagon-stimulated extracellular cAMP in the regulation of hepatic lipid metabolism through AMPK-mediated PPARα activation. Therefore, strategies to improve cAMP efflux could serve as potential new tools to prevent obesity-associated hepatic steatosis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 6919
Author(s):  
Monika Okuliarova ◽  
Valentina Sophia Rumanova ◽  
Katarina Stebelova ◽  
Michal Zeman

Dim light at night (dLAN) is associated with metabolic risk but the specific effects on lipid metabolism have only been evaluated to a limited extent. Therefore, to explore whether dLAN can compromise lipid metabolic homeostasis in healthy individuals, we exposed Wistar rats to dLAN (~2 lx) for 2 and 5 weeks and analyzed the main lipogenic pathways in the liver and epididymal fat pad, including the control mechanisms at the hormonal and molecular level. We found that dLAN promoted hepatic triacylglycerol accumulation, upregulated hepatic genes involved in de novo synthesis of fatty acids, and elevated glucose and fatty acid uptake. These observations were paralleled with suppressed fatty acid synthesis in the adipose tissue and altered plasma adipokine levels, indicating disturbed adipocyte metabolic function with a potential negative impact on liver metabolism. Moreover, dLAN-exposed rats displayed an elevated expression of two peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor family members (Pparα and Pparγ) in the liver and adipose tissue, suggesting the deregulation of important metabolic transcription factors. Together, our results demonstrate that an impaired balance of lipid biosynthetic pathways caused by dLAN can increase lipid storage in the liver, thereby accounting for a potential linking mechanism between dLAN and metabolic diseases.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (478) ◽  
pp. eaau5758 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Watt ◽  
Ashlee K. Clark ◽  
Luke A. Selth ◽  
Vanessa R. Haynes ◽  
Natalie Lister ◽  
...  

Metabolism alterations are hallmarks of cancer, but the involvement of lipid metabolism in disease progression is unclear. We investigated the role of lipid metabolism in prostate cancer using tissue from patients with prostate cancer and patient-derived xenograft mouse models. We showed that fatty acid uptake was increased in human prostate cancer and that these fatty acids were directed toward biomass production. These changes were mediated, at least partly, by the fatty acid transporter CD36, which was associated with aggressive disease. Deleting Cd36 in the prostate of cancer-susceptible Pten−/− mice reduced fatty acid uptake and the abundance of oncogenic signaling lipids and slowed cancer progression. Moreover, CD36 antibody therapy reduced cancer severity in patient-derived xenografts. We further demonstrated cross-talk between fatty acid uptake and de novo lipogenesis and found that dual targeting of these pathways more potently inhibited proliferation of human cancer-derived organoids compared to the single treatments. These findings identify a critical role for CD36-mediated fatty acid uptake in prostate cancer and suggest that targeting fatty acid uptake might be an effective strategy for treating prostate cancer.


2020 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 470-479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sookyoung Jeon ◽  
Rotonya Carr

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is the most prevalent type of chronic liver disease with significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. ALD begins with simple hepatic steatosis and progresses to alcoholic steatohepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis. The severity of hepatic steatosis is highly associated with the development of later stages of ALD. This review explores the disturbances of alcohol-induced hepatic lipid metabolism through altered hepatic lipid uptake, de novo lipid synthesis, fatty acid oxidation, hepatic lipid export, and lipid droplet formation and catabolism. In addition, we review emerging data on the contributions of genetics and bioactive lipid metabolism in alcohol-induced hepatic lipid accumulation.


2010 ◽  
Vol 299 (4) ◽  
pp. G855-G866 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fengxia Ge ◽  
Shengli Zhou ◽  
Chunguang Hu ◽  
Harrison Lobdell ◽  
Paul D. Berk

Hepatic steatosis results from several processes. To assess their relative roles, hepatocellular long-chain fatty acid (LCFA) uptake was assayed in hepatocytes from C57BL/6J control mice, mice with steatosis from a high-fat diet (HFD) or 10%, 14%, or 18% ethanol (EtOH) in drinking water [functioning leptin-signaling groups (FLSGs)], and ob/ob and db/db mice. Vmax for uptake was increased vs. controls ( P < 0.001) and correlated significantly with liver weight and triglycerides (TGs) in all FLSG mice but was minimally or not increased in ob/ob and db/db mice, in which liver weights and TGs greatly exceeded projections from regressions in FLSG animals. Coefficients of determination ( R2) for these FLSG regressions suggest that increased LCFA uptake accounts for ∼80% of the increase in hepatic TGs within these groups, but increased lipogenic gene expression data suggest that enhanced LCFA synthesis is the major contributor in ob/ob and db/db. Got2, Cd36, Slc27a2, and Slc27a5 gene expression ratios were significantly upregulated in the EtOH groups, correlating with sterol regulatory element binding protein 1c ( SREBP1c) and Vmax, but only Cd36 expression was increased in HFD, ob/ob, and db/db mice. Comparison of Vmax with serum insulin and leptin suggests that both hormones contribute to upregulation of uptake in the FLSG animals. Thus, increased LCFA uptake, reflecting SREBP1c-mediated upregulation of four distinct transporters, is the dominant cause of steatosis in EtOH-fed mice. In ob/ob and db/db mice, increased LCFA synthesis appears more important. In FLSG animals, insulin upregulates hepatocellular LCFA uptake. Leptin appears to upregulate LCFA uptake or to be essential for full expression of upregulation by insulin.


1995 ◽  
Vol 49 (7) ◽  
pp. 1013-1022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel K. Asiedu ◽  
Abraham Demoz ◽  
Jon Skorve ◽  
Hans J. Grav ◽  
Rolf K. Berge

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