scholarly journals Clinical Evidence of Antidepressant Effects of Insulin and Anti-Hyperglycemic Agents and Implications for the Pathophysiology of Depression—A Literature Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 6969
Author(s):  
Young Sup Woo ◽  
Hyun Kook Lim ◽  
Sheng-Min Wang ◽  
Won-Myong Bahk

Close connections between depression and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) have been suggested by many epidemiological and experimental studies. Disturbances in insulin sensitivity due to the disruption of various molecular pathways cause insulin resistance, which underpins many metabolic disorders, including diabetes, as well as depression. Several anti-hyperglycemic agents have demonstrated antidepressant properties in clinical trials, probably due to their action on brain targets based on the shared pathophysiology of depression and T2DM. In this article, we review reports of clinical trials examining the antidepressant effect of these medications, including insulin, metformin, glucagon like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ agonists, and briefly consider possible molecular mechanisms underlying the associations between amelioration of insulin resistance and improvement of depressive symptoms. In doing so, we intend to suggest an integrative perspective for understanding the pathophysiology of depression.

2018 ◽  
Vol 239 (3) ◽  
pp. 289-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita Sharma ◽  
Quyen Luong ◽  
Vishva M Sharma ◽  
Mitchell Harberson ◽  
Brian Harper ◽  
...  

Growth hormone (GH) has long been known to stimulate lipolysis and insulin resistance; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects are unknown. In the present study, we demonstrate that GH acutely induces lipolysis in cultured adipocytes. This effect is secondary to the reduced expression of a negative regulator of lipolysis, fat-specific protein 27 (FSP27; aka Cidec) at both the mRNA and protein levels. These effects are mimicked in vivo as transgenic overexpression of GH leads to a reduction of FSP27 expression. Mechanistically, we show GH modulation of FSP27 expression is mediated through activation of both MEK/ERK- and STAT5-dependent intracellular signaling. These two molecular pathways interact to differentially manipulate peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma activity (PPARγ) on the FSP27 promoter. Furthermore, overexpression of FSP27 is sufficient to fully suppress GH-induced lipolysis and insulin resistance in cultured adipocytes. Taken together, these data decipher a molecular mechanism by which GH acutely regulates lipolysis and insulin resistance in adipocytes.


2007 ◽  
Vol 292 (1) ◽  
pp. G113-G123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shizhong Zheng ◽  
Anping Chen

Activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSC), the major effectors of hepatic fibrogenesis, is coupled with sequential alterations in gene expression, including an increase in receptors for transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and a dramatic reduction in the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ). The relationship between them remains obscure. We previously demonstrated that curcumin induced gene expression of PPAR-γ in activated HSC, leading to reducing cell proliferation, inducing apoptosis and suppressing expression of extracellular matrix genes. The underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. We recently observed that stimulation of PPAR-γ activation suppressed gene expression of TGF-β receptors in activated HSC, leading to the interruption of TGF-β signaling. This observation supported our assumption of an antagonistic relationship between PPAR-γ activation and TGF-β signaling in HSC. In this study, we further hypothesize that TGF-β signaling might negatively regulate gene expression of PPAR-γ in activated HSC. The present report demonstrates that exogenous TGF-β1 inhibits gene expression of PPAR-γ in activated HSC, which is eliminated by the pretreatment with curcumin likely by interrupting TGF-β signaling. Transfection assays further indicate that blocking TGF-β signaling by dominant negative type II TGF-β receptor increases the promoter activity of PPAR-γ gene. Promoter deletion assays, site-directed mutageneses, and gel shift assays localize two Smad binding elements (SBEs) in the PPAR-γ gene promoter, acting as curcumin response elements and negatively regulating the promoter activity in passaged HSC. The Smad3/4 protein complex specifically binds to the SBEs. Overexpression of Smad4 dose dependently eliminates the inhibitory effects of curcumin on the PPAR-γ gene promoter and TGF-β signaling. Taken together, these results demonstrate that the interruption of TGF-β signaling by curcumin induces gene expression of PPAR-γ in activated HSC in vitro. Our studies provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms of curcumin in the induction of PPAR-γ gene expression and in the inhibition of HSC activation.


2003 ◽  
Vol 81 (10) ◽  
pp. 979-985 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaoting Gui ◽  
Josef V Silha ◽  
Suresh Mishra ◽  
Liam J Murphy

We investigated the changes in insulin resistance and adipose tissue expression of the adipokines resistin, adiponectin, and leptin and the transcription factors peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) and retinoid X receptor-α (RXR-α) during 48 h of food deprivation. Insulin sensitivity (SI) declined, whereas glucose effectiveness (SG) increased. Plasma adiponectin levels declined in the first 8 h and remained constant thereafter. There was no correlation between either SI or SG and adiponectin protein or mRNA levels. PPAR-γ mRNA abundance remained constant, whereas leptin and resistin mRNAs and plasma leptin declined and RXR-α mRNA abundance increased in both white and brown fat. Leptin mRNA abundance was closely correlated with SI (R2 = 0.91 and 0.87 for white and brown fat, respectively). Resistin mRNA abundance correlated inversely with SG (R2 = 0.99 and 0.84 for white and brown fat, respectively). These data indicate that changes in the expression of leptin are more closely correlated with the insulin resistance of fasting than with changes in other adipokines or RXR-α and PPAR-γ expression.Key words: insulin resistance, fasting, adipokines, resistin, leptin, adiponectin.


2005 ◽  
Vol 288 (4) ◽  
pp. C899-C905 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinah Hwang ◽  
Dean J. Kleinhenz ◽  
Bernard Lassègue ◽  
Kathy K. Griendling ◽  
Sergey Dikalov ◽  
...  

Recently, we demonstrated that the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) ligands, either 15-deoxy-Δ12,14-prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2) or ciglitazone, increased endothelial nitric oxide (·NO) release without altering endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression ( 4 ). However, the precise molecular mechanisms of PPAR-γ-stimulated endothelial·NO release remain to be defined. Superoxide anion radical (O2−·) combines with ·NO to decrease·NO bioavailability. NADPH oxidase, which produces O2−·, and Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD), which degrades O2−·, thereby contribute to regulation of endothelial cell·NO metabolism. Therefore, we examined the ability of PPAR-γ ligands to modulate endothelial O2−· metabolism through alterations in the expression and activity of NADPH oxidase or Cu/Zn-SOD. Treatment with 10 μM 15d-PGJ2 or ciglitazone for 24 h decreased human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) membrane NADPH-dependent O2−· production detected with electron spin resonance spectroscopy. Treatment with 15d-PGJ2 or ciglitazone also reduced relative mRNA levels of the NADPH oxidase subunits, nox-1, gp91 phox (nox-2), and nox-4, as measured using real-time PCR analysis. Concordantly, Western blot analysis demonstrated that 15d-PGJ2 or ciglitazone decreased nox-2 and nox-4 protein expression. PPAR-γ ligands also stimulated both activity and expression of Cu/Zn-SOD in HUVEC. These data suggest that in addition to any direct effects on endothelial·NO production, PPAR-γ ligands enhance endothelial·NO bioavailability, in part by altering endothelial O2−· metabolism through suppression of NADPH oxidase and induction of Cu/Zn-SOD. These findings further elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which PPAR-γ ligands directly alter vascular endothelial function.


2010 ◽  
Vol 298 (1) ◽  
pp. G133-G141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Basilia Zingarelli ◽  
Ranjit Chima ◽  
Michael O'Connor ◽  
Giovanna Piraino ◽  
Alvin Denenberg ◽  
...  

A clinical observation in pediatric and adult intensive care units is that the incidence of multiple organ failure in pediatric trauma victims is lower than in adult patients. However, the molecular mechanisms are not yet defined. Recent experimental studies have shown that the nuclear peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) modulates the inflammatory process. In this study, we hypothesized that severity of liver injury may be age dependent and PPARγ activation may provide beneficial effects. Hemorrhagic shock was induced in anesthetized young (3–5 mo old) and mature male Wistar rats (11–13 mo old) by withdrawing blood to a mean arterial blood pressure of 50 mmHg. After 3 h, rats were rapidly resuscitated with shed blood. Animals were euthanized 3 h after resuscitation. In mature rats, liver injury appeared more pronounced compared with young rats and was characterized by marked hepatocyte apoptosis, extravasation of erythrocytes, and accumulation of neutrophils. The ratio between the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 and the proapoptotic protein BAX was lower, whereas activity of caspase-3, the executioner of apoptosis, was higher in liver of mature rats compared with young rats. Plasma alanine aminotransferase levels were not different between the two age groups. This heightened liver apoptosis was associated with a significant downregulation of PPARγ DNA binding in mature rats compared with young rats. Treatment with the PPARγ ligand ciglitazone significantly reduced liver apoptosis in mature rats. Our data suggest that liver injury after severe hemorrhage is age dependent and PPARγ activation is a novel hepatoprotective mechanism.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 928-938 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuan Dong ◽  
Shu-Xiang Zhao ◽  
Bing-Qing Xu ◽  
Yu-Qing Zhang

Abstract Diabetes mellitus, one of the fastest growing epidemics worldwide, has become a serious health problem in modern society. Gynura divaricata (GD), an edible medicinal plant, has been shown to have hypoglycaemic effects. The molecular mechanisms by which GD improves hepatic insulin resistance (IR) in mice with type 2 diabetes (T2D) remain largely unknown. The aerial parts of GD were prepared in a lyophilized powder, which was added into the diet of T2D mice for 4 weeks. GD could result in an obvious decrease in fasting blood glucose and insulin levels in T2D mice. Meanwhile, the underlying mechanisms involved in the insulin-signalling pathway, glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism and inflammatory reaction in the liver tissue were also investigated by western blot, which indicated that GD further ameliorated hepatic IR by activating the PI3K/p-AKT pathway, decreasing the levels of hepatic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and glucose-6-phosphatase and increasing the levels of glucokinase and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ in the livers of T2D mice. GD has the potential to alleviate both hyperglycaemia and hepatic IR in T2D mice. Therefore, GD might be a promising functional food or medicine for T2D treatment.


2009 ◽  
Vol 29 (8) ◽  
pp. 2053-2067 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmella Evans-Molina ◽  
Reiesha D. Robbins ◽  
Tatsuyoshi Kono ◽  
Sarah A. Tersey ◽  
George L. Vestermark ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPAR-γ) is an important target in diabetes therapy, but its direct role, if any, in the restoration of islet function has remained controversial. To identify potential molecular mechanisms of PPAR-γ in the islet, we treated diabetic or glucose-intolerant mice with the PPAR-γ agonist pioglitazone or with a control. Treated mice exhibited significantly improved glycemic control, corresponding to increased serum insulin and enhanced glucose-stimulated insulin release and Ca2+ responses from isolated islets in vitro. This improved islet function was at least partially attributed to significant upregulation of the islet genes Irs1, SERCA, Ins1/2, and Glut2 in treated animals. The restoration of the Ins1/2 and Glut2 genes corresponded to a two- to threefold increase in the euchromatin marker histone H3 dimethyl-Lys4 at their respective promoters and was coincident with increased nuclear occupancy of the islet methyltransferase Set7/9. Analysis of diabetic islets in vitro suggested that these effects resulting from the presence of the PPAR-γ agonist may be secondary to improvements in endoplasmic reticulum stress. Consistent with this possibility, incubation of thapsigargin-treated INS-1 β cells with the PPAR-γ agonist resulted in the reduction of endoplasmic reticulum stress and restoration of Pdx1 protein levels and Set7/9 nuclear occupancy. We conclude that PPAR-γ agonists exert a direct effect in diabetic islets to reduce endoplasmic reticulum stress and enhance Pdx1 levels, leading to favorable alterations of the islet gene chromatin architecture.


2002 ◽  
Vol 2 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. S24-S27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulf Smith

The thiazolidinediones exert their insulin sensitising effect by binding to the nuclear receptors (transcription factors) peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) γ and, to varying degrees, to PPARα. Several different genes are activated by thiazolidinediones, many of which contribute to the increase in insulin sensitivity (eg. an increase in glucose uptake and utilisation, a decrease in gluconeogenesis and in insulin-antagonistic cytokines, such as tumour necrosis factor α). Activation of other genes indirectly reduces insulin resistance by, for example, increasing free fatty acid (FFA) uptake and oxidation resulting in lower circulating FFA levels. The action of thiazolidinediones at PPARγ is generally responsible for their insulin sensitising effects while action at PPARα contributes to their lipid lowering effects. Therefore, the relative affinities of the different thiazolidinediones for PPARγ and PPARα will also lead to a different spectrum of actions for each agent.


PPAR Research ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarawin Harnchoowong ◽  
Poonkiat Suchonwanit

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPAR-γ) is a ligand-activated nuclear receptor that regulates the transcription of various genes. PPAR-γ plays roles in lipid homeostasis, sebocyte maturation, and peroxisome biogenesis and has shown anti-inflammatory effects. PPAR-γ is highly expressed in human sebaceous glands. Disruption of PPAR-γ is believed to be one of the mechanisms of primary cicatricial alopecia (PCA) pathogenesis, causing pilosebaceous dysfunction leading to follicular inflammation. In this review article, we discuss the pathogenesis of PCA with a focus on PPAR-γ involvement in pathogenesis of lichen planopilaris (LPP), the most common lymphocytic form of PCA. We also discuss clinical trials utilizing PPAR-agonists in PCA treatment.


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