Amino acids and diabetes: implications for endocrine, metabolic and immune function.

Aberrant alterations in glucose and lipid concentrations and their pathways of metabolism are a hallmark of diabetes. However, much less is known about alterations in concentrations of amino acids and their pathways of metabolism in diabetes. In this review we have attempted to highlight, integrate and discuss common alterations in amino acid metabolism in a wide variety of cells and tissues and relate these changes to alterations in endocrine, physiologic and immune function in diabetes.

Mechanisms by which fatty acids regulate leucocyte function.

Fatty acids (FAs) have been shown to alter leucocyte function and thus to modulate inflammatory and immune responses. In this review, the effects of FAs on several aspects of lymphocyte, neutrophil and macrophage function are discussed. The mechanisms by which FAs modulate the production of lipid mediators, activity of intracellular signalling pathways, activity of lipid-raft-associated proteins, binding to TLRs (Toll-like receptors), control of gene expression, activation of transcription factors, induction of cell death and production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species are described in this review.

NBD-cholesterol incorporation by rat macrophages and lymphocytes: a process dependent on the activation state of the cells.

The time-course of incorporation of NBD-cholesterol by macrophages (Ma) and lymphocytes (LY) obtained from untreated and thioglycollate-injected (thio) rats was investigated. NBD-cholesterol incorporation was also examined in Ma obtained from untreated rats and stimulated in vitro by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and phorbol-myristate acetate (PMA). The same measurement was performed in LY from untreated rats stimulated by addition of LPS and concanavalin A (Con A) into the culture medium.