Relationship between the lipidome, inflammatory markers and insulin resistance.

The objectives of the present study were to (1) examine the effects of the phenotypic factors age, gender and BMI on the lipidomic profile and (2) investigate the relationship between the lipidome, inflammatory markers and insulin resistance. Specific ceramide, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine lipids were increased in females relative to males and specific lysophosphatidylcholine, lysophosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine lipids decreased as BMI increased. However, age had a minimal effect on the lipid profile with significant differences found in only two lipid species.

Long-term exposure to a high-fat diet results in the development of glucose intolerance and insulin resistance in interleukin-1 receptor I-deficient mice.

Emerging evidence has demonstrated that saturated fatty acids prime pro-IL-1β production and inflammasome-mediated IL-1β activation is critical in obesity-associated insulin resistance (IR). Nonetheless, IL-1 receptor I-deficient (IL-1RI(-/-)) mice develop mature-onset obesity despite consuming a low-fat diet (LFD). With this apparent contradiction, the present study evaluated whether IL-1RI(-/-) mice were protected against long-term (6 mo) high-fat diet (HFD)-induced IR.

Remission of chronic fungal asthma in the absence of CCR8.

Background: Experimental studies have generated conflicting data regarding the role of CCR8 in antigen-driven allergic airway disease models, thereby dampening enthusiasm for further exploration of the targeting of CCR8 in asthma.

Objective: Recent data show that the absence of CCR8 leads to a marked amplification of the innate immune response, and these data provided impetus for the current study, which addressed the role of this chemokine receptor in a model of fungal asthma.

Methods: Wild-type (CCR8(+/+)) and CCR8-deficient (CCR8(-/-)) mice were sensitized to Aspergillus fumigatus antigens and challenged via intra-tracheal injection with live fungal conidia, and parameters of airway hyperresponsiveness, inflammation, and remodeling were examined.