Effects of maternal diet-induced obesity on metabolic disorders and age-associated miRNA expression in the liver of male mouse offspring

Objective This study investigated the effect of maternal obesity on aged-male offspring liver phenotype and hepatic expression of a programmed miRNA. Methods A mouse model (C57BL/6 J) of maternal diet-induced obesity was used to investigate fasting-serum metabolites, hepatic lipid content, steatosis, and relative mRNA levels (RT-PCR) and protein expression (Western blotting) of key components involved in hepatic and mitochondrial metabolism in 12-month-old offspring. We also measured hepatic lipid peroxidation, mitochondrial content, fibrosis stage, and apoptosis in the offspring. To investigate potential mechanisms leading to the observed phenotype, we also measured the expression of miR-582 (a miRNA previously implicated in liver cirrhosis) in 8-week-old and 12-month-old offspring. Results Body weight and composition was similar between 8-week-old offspring, however, 12-month-old offspring from obese mothers had increased body weight and fat mass (19.5 ± 0.8 g versus 10.4 ± 0.9 g, p < 0.001), as well as elevated serum levels of LDL and leptin and hepatic lipid content (21.4 ± 2.1 g versus 12.9 ± 1.8 g, p < 0.01). This was accompanied by steatosis, increased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, and overexpression of p-SAPK/JNK, Tgfβ1, Map3k14, and Col1a1 in the liver. Decreased levels of Bcl-2, p-AMPKα, total AMPKα and mitochondrial complexes were also observed. Maternal obesity was associated with increased hepatic miR-582-3p (p < 0.001) and miR-582-5p (p < 0.05). Age was also associated with an increase in both miR-582-3p and miR-582-5p, however, this was more pronounced in the offspring of obese dams, such that differences were greater in 12-month-old animals (−3p: 7.34 ± 1.35 versus 1.39 ± 0.50, p < 0.0001 and −5p: 4.66 ± 1.16 versus 1.63 ± 0.65, p < 0.05). Conclusion Our findings demonstrate that maternal diet-induced obesity has detrimental effects on offspring body composition as well as hepatic phenotype that may be indicative of accelerated-ageing phenotype. These whole-body and cellular phenotypes were associated with age-dependent changes in expression of miRNA-582 that might contribute mechanistically to the development of metabolic disorders in the older progeny.

Serum Afamin a Novel Marker of Increased Hepatic Lipid Content

AimAfamin is a liver-produced glycoprotein, a potential early marker of metabolic syndrome. Here we investigated regulation of afamin in a course of the metabolic disease development and in response to 3-month exercise intervention.MethodsWe measured whole-body insulin sensitivity (euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp), glucose tolerance, abdominal adiposity, hepatic lipid content (magnetic resonance imaging/spectroscopy), habitual physical activity (accelerometers) and serum afamin (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) in 71 middle-aged men with obesity, prediabetes and newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. Effects of 3-month exercise were investigated in 22 overweight-to-obese middle-aged individuals (16M/6F).ResultsPrediabetes and type 2 diabetes, but not obesity, were associated with increased serum afamin (p&lt;0.001). Afamin correlated positively with hepatic lipids, fatty liver index and liver damage markers; with parameters of adiposity (waist circumference, %body fat, adipocyte diameter) and insulin resistance (fasting insulin, C-peptide, HOMA-IR; p&lt;0.001 all). Moreover, afamin negatively correlated with whole-body insulin sensitivity (M-value/Insulin, p&lt;0.001). Hepatic lipids and fasting insulinemia were the most important predictors of serum afamin, explaining &gt;63% of its variability. Exercise-related changes in afamin were paralleled by reciprocal changes in insulinemia, insulin resistance and visceral adiposity. No significant change in hepatic lipid content was observed.ConclusionsSubjects with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes had the highest serum afamin levels. Afamin was more tightly related to hepatic lipid accumulation, liver damage and insulin resistance than to obesity.

Comment on “Nicotinamide mononucleotide increases muscle insulin sensitivity in prediabetic women”

Yoshino et al. (Reports, 11 June 2021, p. 1224) have reported that nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) increases muscle insulin sensitivity in prediabetic women. However, the 13 women who received NMN had hepatic lipid content of 6.3 ± 1.2%, whereas the 12 in the placebo group had 14.8 ± 2.0% (P = 0.003). Given that a target of NMN is liver fat clearance, this was not an effectively randomized trial.

Hypoglycemic Effect of Vitexin in C57BL/6J Mice and HepG2 Models

Apigenin-8-C-glucoside (vitexin), a natural phytochemical contained in hawthorn, has been reported to have versatile beneficial bioactivities, such as antioxidation, anticancer property, and adipogenesis inhibition. The present research aimed to determine the influence of vitexin on insulin resistance elicited by HFD in mice and HepG2 cells. Vitexin markedly alleviated body weight gain and improved glucose and insulin intolerance induced by HFD. Vitexin partially normalized blood glucose, cholesterol, TNF-α, and hepatic lipid content. Moreover, vitexin recovered the reduced glucose uptake induced by glucosamine. The present results indicate that vitexin prevents HFD-induced insulin resistance.

Effects of High Levels of Dietary Linseed Oil on the Growth Performance, Antioxidant Capacity, Hepatic Lipid Metabolism, and Expression of Inflammatory Genes in Large Yellow Croaker (Larimichthys crocea)

A growth experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary fish oil (FO) replaced by linseed oil (LO) on the growth performance, antioxidant capacity, hepatic lipid metabolism, and expression of inflammatory genes in large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea). Fish (initial weight: 15.88 ± 0.14 g) were fed four experimental diets with 0% (the control), 33.3%, 66.7%, and 100% of FO replaced by LO. Each diet was randomly attributed to triplicate seawater floating cages (1.0 × 1.0 × 2.0 m) with 60 fish in each cage. Results showed that the growth performance of fish fed the diet with 100% LO was markedly decreased compared with the control group (P &lt; 0.05), while no remarkable difference was observed in the growth performance of fish fed diets within 66.7% LO (P &gt; 0.05). The percentage of 18:3n-3 was the highest in the liver and muscle of fish fed the diet with 100% LO among the four treatments. When dietary FO was entirely replaced by LO, fish had a markedly higher total cholesterol, total triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol content, and alanine transaminase activity in the serum than the control group (P &lt; 0.05). The concentration of malondialdehyde was markedly higher, while the activity of catalase was markedly lower in fish fed the diet with 100% LO than the control group (P &lt; 0.05). When dietary FO was entirely replaced by LO, hepatic lipid content, transcriptional levels of fatp1 and cd36, and CD36 protein expression were significantly higher, while transcriptional level of cpt-1 and CPT-1 protein expression were significantly lower than the control group (P &lt; 0.05). As for the gene expression of cytokines, fish fed the diet with 100% LO had markedly higher transcriptional levels of il-1β, tnfα, and il-6 than the control group (P &lt; 0.05). In conclusion, the substitution of 66.7% FO with LO had no significant effects on the growth performance of fish, while 100% LO decreased the growth performance and increased the inflammation and hepatic lipid content of fish. The increase of hepatic lipid content was probably due to the increased fatty acid uptake and decreased fatty acid oxidation in fish.

Effects of dietary terrestrial oils supplemented with l-carnitine on growth, antioxidant capacity, lipid metabolism and inflammation in large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea)

The present study was conducted to determine the effects of dietary terrestrial oils (TO) supplemented with l-carnitine on growth performance, biochemical and antioxidant response, lipid metabolism and inflammation in large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea). Three iso-nitrogenous and iso-lipidic experimental diets were formulated with FO (fish oil, the control group), 75 % TO (75 % FO was substituted by the oil mixture with equal amounts of soyabean oil, linseed oil and pork lard) and 75 % TOC (75 % TO supplemented with 800 mg/kg l-carnitine). Compared with the control group, feed efficiency ratio and specific growth rate were significantly increased in fish fed diets with 75 % TO and 75 % TOC. Hepatic lipid content, serum TAG level, LDL-cholesterol level and the mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory genes (tnfα and ifnγ) were significantly increased in fish fed the diet with 75 % TO compared with the control group. However, the supplementation of 800 mg/kg l-carnitine in the 75 % TO diet repressed hepatic lipid content, serum LDL-cholesterol level and the mRNA expression of tnfα and ifnγ in fish compared with fish fed the diet with 75 % TO. Total antioxidant capacity, the activity of superoxide dismutase, the mRNA expression of cpt-I and the activity of CPT-I were significantly increased in fish fed the diet with 75 % TOC compared with 75 % TO. In conclusion, these results suggested that the supplementation of 800 mg/kg l-carnitine in the diet with TO mixture could increase growth, antioxidant capacity and fatty acid oxidation and decrease the expression of inflammatory genes in large yellow croaker.

Role of patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 3 gene for hepatic lipid content and insulin resistance in diabetes

<a><b>Objective</b></a>: The rs738409(G) single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 3 (<i>PNPLA3</i>) gene associates with increased risk and progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). As the recently-described severe insulin-resistant diabetes (SIRD) cluster specifically relates to NAFLD, this study examined whether this SNP differently associates with hepatic lipid content (HCL) and insulin sensitivity in recent-onset diabetes mellitus. <p><b>Research Design and Methods</b>: A total of 917 participants of the German Diabetes Study underwent genotyping, hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamps with stable isotopic tracer dilution and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. </p> <p><b>Results:</b> The G allele associated positively with HCL (β=0.36, p<0.01), independent of age, sex and BMI across the whole cohort, but not in the individual clusters. SIRD exhibited lowest whole-body insulin sensitivity compared to severe insulin-deficient (SIDD), moderate obesity-related (MOD), moderate age-related (MARD) and severe autoimmune diabetes clusters (SAID; all p<0.001). Interestingly, SIRD presented with higher prevalence of the rs738409(G) SNP compared to other clusters and the glucose-tolerant control group (p<0.05). HCL was higher in SIRD [13.6 (5.8;19.1)%] compared to MOD [6.4 (2.1;12.4)%, p<0.05], MARD [3.0 (1.0;7.9)%, p<0.001], SAID [0.4 (0.0;1.5)%, p<0.001] and the glucose tolerant group [0.9 (0.4;4.9)%, p<0.001]. Although the <i>PNPLA3</i> polymorphism did not directly associate with whole-body insulin sensitivity in SIRD, the G allele carriers had higher circulating free fatty acid concentrations and greater adipose-tissue insulin resistance compared to non-carriers (both p<0.001).</p> <b>Conclusions:</b> Members of the severe insulin resistant diabetes cluster are more frequently carriers of the rs738409(G) variant. The SNP-associated adipose-tissue insulin resistance and excessive lipolysis may contribute to their NAFLD.

Role of patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 3 gene for hepatic lipid content and insulin resistance in diabetes

<a><b>Objective</b></a>: The rs738409(G) single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 3 (<i>PNPLA3</i>) gene associates with increased risk and progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). As the recently-described severe insulin-resistant diabetes (SIRD) cluster specifically relates to NAFLD, this study examined whether this SNP differently associates with hepatic lipid content (HCL) and insulin sensitivity in recent-onset diabetes mellitus. <p><b>Research Design and Methods</b>: A total of 917 participants of the German Diabetes Study underwent genotyping, hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamps with stable isotopic tracer dilution and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. </p> <p><b>Results:</b> The G allele associated positively with HCL (β=0.36, p<0.01), independent of age, sex and BMI across the whole cohort, but not in the individual clusters. SIRD exhibited lowest whole-body insulin sensitivity compared to severe insulin-deficient (SIDD), moderate obesity-related (MOD), moderate age-related (MARD) and severe autoimmune diabetes clusters (SAID; all p<0.001). Interestingly, SIRD presented with higher prevalence of the rs738409(G) SNP compared to other clusters and the glucose-tolerant control group (p<0.05). HCL was higher in SIRD [13.6 (5.8;19.1)%] compared to MOD [6.4 (2.1;12.4)%, p<0.05], MARD [3.0 (1.0;7.9)%, p<0.001], SAID [0.4 (0.0;1.5)%, p<0.001] and the glucose tolerant group [0.9 (0.4;4.9)%, p<0.001]. Although the <i>PNPLA3</i> polymorphism did not directly associate with whole-body insulin sensitivity in SIRD, the G allele carriers had higher circulating free fatty acid concentrations and greater adipose-tissue insulin resistance compared to non-carriers (both p<0.001).</p> <b>Conclusions:</b> Members of the severe insulin resistant diabetes cluster are more frequently carriers of the rs738409(G) variant. The SNP-associated adipose-tissue insulin resistance and excessive lipolysis may contribute to their NAFLD.