Publications by authors named "Amal Alenad"

Free radicals, products of oxidative processes, induce cellular damage linked to diseases like Parkinson's and diabetes due to increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Catalase, crucial for scavenging ROS, emerges as a therapeutic agent against ailments including atherosclerosis and tumor progression. Its primary function involves breaking down hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen.

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Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has been linked with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene variants have been associated with diabetes mellitus susceptibility and related complications. This study assessed the association between VDR gene polymorphism (rs2228570) and GDM risk among pregnant Arab women.

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Diabetes mellitus is characterized by hyperglycemia that makes insulin more prone to glycation and form advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Here, we report the effect of glyoxal (GO) on the formation of AGEs using human insulin as model protein and their structural modifications. The present investigation also reports the anti-AGE potential of Heliotropium bacciferum (Leaf) extracts.

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Prediabetes is a reversible, intermediate stage of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Lifestyle changes that include healthy diet and exercise can substantially reduce progression to T2DM. The present study explored the association of 37 T2DM- and obesity-linked single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with prediabetes risk in a homogenous Saudi Arabian population.

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Several proteins and peptides tend to form an amyloid fibril, causing a range of unrelated diseases, from neurodegenerative to certain types of cancer. In the native state, these proteins are folded and soluble. However, these proteins acquired β-sheet amyloid fibril due to unfolding and aggregation.

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P-Coumaric acid (p-CA) is a plant metabolite with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Due to its therapeutic potential, p-CA has attracted much attention from the scientific community lately. Oxidative stress, amyloid formation, and impaired proteasomal degradation are hallmarks of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's (AD) and are targets for developing therapeutics against such conditions.

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Alpha-amylase (α-amylase) is a key player in the management of diabetes and its related complications. This study was intended to have an insight into the binding of caffeic acid and coumaric acid with α-amylase and analyze the effect of these compounds on the formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). Fluorescence quenching studies suggested that both the compounds showed an appreciable binding affinity towards α-amylase.

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MERS-CoV main protease (M) is essential for the maturation of the coronavirus; therefore, considered a potential drug target. Detailed conformational information is essential to developing antiviral therapeutics. However, the conformation of MERS-CoV M under different conditions is poorly characterized.

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Epidemiological studies suggest that the Zinc-α-2-glycoprotein (ZAG) plays significant physiological roles. In this study we investigate whether ZAG could be considered as a clinical biomarker in the diagnosis and prognosis of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Saudi population. As such insights urgently required for management of MetS.

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Angiogenin (ANG), a multifunctional protein known to induce blood vessel formation, is a potential biomarker for cardiovascular diseases; however, whether it is affected by vitamin D supplementation is not known. This interventional study in vitamin D-deficient Saudi adults was designed to investigate it. A total of 100 vitamin D-deficient Saudi adults aged 30-50 years were randomly selected to undergo 6-month vitamin D supplementation.

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The parathyroid hormone 1 receptor (PTHR1) plays a crucial role in calcium homeostasis and bone metabolism. However, its genetic role in regulating bone turnover markers (BTMs) in postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO) remains unclear. Herein, we explored parathyroid hormone (PTH) and PTHR gene variant susceptibility to osteoporosis and their association with various circulating BTM and inflammatory markers in postmenopausal women of Arab ethnicity.

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Angiopoietin-like protein 8 (ANGPTL8) has a role in lipid metabolism, beta-cell proliferation and diabetes progression, however, the association between different variants in the ANGPTL8 gene and metabolic syndrome (MetS) components has not been studied widely especially in Arab ethnic groups. In this study, the associations of ANGPTL8 variants on MetS risk in Saudi Arab adults were investigated. A total of 905 unrelated Saudi adults (580 healthy controls and 325 MetS) were included.

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Spexin (SPX) is a novel peptide thought to have a role in various metabolic regulations. Given its presumed body-weight regulatory functions, we aimed to determine whether lifestyle intervention programs on weight loss and fasting glucose (FG) improvement among people with impaired glucose regulation also alter levels of circulating SPX. A total of 160 Saudi adult males and females with prediabetes were randomly selected from a larger cohort (N = 294) who underwent a 6-month lifestyle modification program to improve their glycemic status.

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Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder associated with insulin resistance, even in the absence of overweight/obesity. The aim of the present study is to examine the global serum proteomic profile of adolescent, normal-weight females with PCOS in order to gain novel insight in the association of this endocrine disorder with insulin physiology and to identify novel circulating markers that can guide intervention protocols.

Methods: Non-depleted serum from normal-weight (BMI: 18-23 kg m ), adolescent females (13-21 years old) with PCOS (n = 20) is compared to BMI- and age-matched healthy controls (n = 20) using our 3D quantitative proteomics methodology.

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Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the influence of vitamin D-binding protein (DBP) gene polymorphisms in vitamin D metabolites before and after vitamin D supplementation.

Methods: In all, 234 participants (126 women; 108 men) with vitamin D deficiency [25(OH)D <50 nmol/L] were given 50 000 IU of vitamin D supplements for 8 wk followed by daily maintenance of 1000 IU for 4 mo. Two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (rs4588 and rs7041) in DBP coding gene were assessed.

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Vitamin B12 deficiency leads to adverse effects on human health, but limited information is available as to whether abnormal vitamin B12 levels are associated between parents and offspring. The present study aimed to assess the association between circulating levels of vitamin B12 in Saudi parents and their children as well as its association with pro-inflammatory markers. A total of 104 Saudi families: 49 fathers, 63 mothers, 94 sons and 79 daughters were selected for the study.

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Objective: Subjects with low vitamin D levels are at risk of cardiometabolic disease. The aim of this study was to identify novel serological markers linking vitamin D status with cardiometabolic profile in non-diabetic adults with obesity.

Methods: For the discovery phase, we used quantitative serum proteomics in sex-matched, age-matched and BMI-matched subjects with obesity [BMI: 25-35 kg/m] and low [25(OH)D < 50 nmol/L] vs.

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Background: Spexin (SPX) is a novel peptide that is implicated in obesity and related energy homeostasis in animals and adult humans. Little is known about its role in adults' overall cardiometabolic health. The aim of the study was to determine whether circulating levels of spexin (SPX) is associated with components of metabolic syndrome (MetS).

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The study aimed to determine whether circulating spexin (SPX) is modified during the course of pregnancy and whether it is affected by the presence of glucose intolerance, i.e., Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM).

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Background: Irisin is a recently identified myokine that plays an important role in preventing obesity and insulin resistance. We investigated whether the common FNDC5 (irisin precursor) gene variants influence susceptibility to obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) and verified the impact of FNDC5 gene variants on serum irisin levels, glucose and lipid metabolism in a Saudi population.

Methods: Genomic DNA from 814 (394 T2DM and 414 controls) subjects were genotyped for the five common SNPs (rs3480A/G, rs1746661G/T, rs1298190A/G, rs726344A/G and rs1570569G/T) of the FNDC5 gene using the TaqMan genotyping assay.

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A possible role of Snap25 polymorphisms in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) was evaluated by analyzing three SNPs within intron 1 in a region known to affect the gene expression in vitro. Genomic DNA from 1019 Saudi individuals (489 confirmed T2DM and 530 controls) was genotyped for SNPs rs363039, rs363043, and rs363050 in Snap25 using the TaqMan Genotyping Assay. Significantly higher levels of fasting glucose and HbA1c were detected in T2DM patients carrying the rs363050 (AG/GG) genotypes compared to the (AA) genotype (f = 4.

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Parathyroid hormone (PTH) plays a crucial role in calcium metabolism and skeletal development via altering vitamin D level. Besides, hypersecretion of PTH is implicated in the etiology of osteoporosis. In this study, we analyzed association between promoter region sequence variants of PTH gene and circulating 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25(OH)D) level.

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The pathogenesis of T2DM involves secretion of several pro-inflammatory molecules by the dramatically increased adipocytes, both by number and size, and associated macrophages of adipose tissue. Since T2DM is usually preceded by obesity and chronic systemic inflammation, the objective of this study was to explore for any association between genetic variants of previously established 36 T2DM-associated SNPs and altered serum adipocytokine levels and metabolic syndrome phenotypes. Study consisted of 566 subjects (284 males and 282 females) of whom 147 were T2DM patients and 419 healthy controls.

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Obesity has been associated with increased incidence and mortality of breast cancer. The precise relation between obesity and breast cancer is yet to be determined, with few studies linking them with altered serum levels adipokines and inflammatory cytokines. The relevance of the expression of genes encoding for adipokines and inflammatory cytokines in the peripheral blood and their contribution to obesity and breast cancer has not been fully investigated.

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The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is rising alarmingly in the Saudi Arabian population. This study was conducted to assess the association between vitamin D receptor (VDR) polymorphisms and genetic susceptibility to components of the metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and vitamin D deficiency in the Saudi Arabian population. Five-hundred-seventy Saudi individuals (285 MetS and 285 controls) were enrolled in this cross-sectional study.

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