Impact of Sleeve Gastrectomy on Body Weight and Food Intake Regulation in Diet-Induced Obese Mice.

The epidemic of obesity has increased worldwide and is associated with comorbidities such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In this context, strategies that modulate body weight and improve glycemic metabolism have increased, and bariatric surgeries such as Sleeve Gastrectomy (SG) have been highlighted in obesity treatment. However, the mechanism by which SG reduces body weight and improves glycemic control remains unknown.

Interesterified palm oil promotes insulin resistance and altered insulin secretion and signaling in Swiss mice.

Interesterified fats have been used to replace trans-fat in ultra-processed foods. However, their metabolic effects are not completely understood. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the effects related to glucose homeostasis in response to interesterified palm oil or refined palm oil intake.

vaccine: What is the best way to go?

Malaria is one of the most devastating human infectious diseases caused by spp. parasites. A search for an effective and safe vaccine is the main challenge for its eradication.

Dietary Protein Modulates the Efficacy of Taurine Supplementation on Adaptive Islet Function and Morphology in Obesity.

Adaptation of islet β-cell mass and function under limiting or excess nutrient availability is critical for maintenance of glucose homeostasis. Taurine regulates islet function of obese mice in normal and low dietary protein conditions, but whether this involves remodeling of the endocrine pancreas architecture is not well understood. Here, we carried functional and morphometric evaluation of the endocrine pancreas of normal and protein-restricted mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) and investigated the role of taurine supplementation.

Tauroursodeoxycholic acid improves glucose tolerance and reduces adiposity in normal protein and malnourished mice fed a high-fat diet.

Early childhood malnutrition may facilitate the onset of obesity and diabetes mellitus in adulthood which, when established, makes it more resistant to therapeutic interventions. The beneficial effects of tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) in glucose homeostasis and body fat accumulation were analyzed in protein-restricted mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD). C57BL/6 mice were fed a control (14% protein [C]) or a protein-restricted (6% protein [R]) diet for 6 weeks.

Phenylhydrazine-induced anaemia reduces subcutaneous white and brown adipose tissues in hypothalamic obese rats.

New Findings: What is the central question of this study? Can an anaemic state modify adiposity and metabolic parameters in hypothalamic obese rats? What is the main finding and its importance? Hypothalamic obese rats do not display iron deficiency. However, the pharmacological induction of anaemia in hypothalamic obese rats resulted in reduced adiposity, characterized by a decrease in subcutaneous white and brown adipose tissue depots. These findings suggest that iron imbalance in obesity may elevate lipolysis.

Effect of nighttime light exposure on glucose metabolism in protein-restricted mice.

Disruption of biological rhythms due to exposure to artificial light at night (ALAN) has emerged as a new risk factor for metabolic diseases. However, the effects of ALAN exposure on energy metabolism with concomitant misalignment in the circadian system caused by nutritional imbalance remain largely unexplored. Here, we evaluate whether a low-protein (LP) diet could enhance the effects induced by exposure to ALAN on the energy metabolism and consequently predispose to metabolic disorders.

TUDCA receptors and their role on pancreatic beta cells.

Bile acids have received increasing attention over the past years as their multiple alternative roles became clearer. Tauroursodeoxycholic Acid (TUDCA) in specific has generated special interest due to its ability to promote pancreatic survival and function, as well as reduce endoplasmic reticulum stress. However, there are few studies explaining the molecular mechanisms behind TUDCA's beneficial actions on pancreatic beta cells.

Excess of glucocorticoids during late gestation impairs the recovery of offspring's β-cell function after a postnatal injury.

Since prenatal glucocorticoids (GC) excess increases the risk of metabolic dysfunctions in the offspring and its effect on β-cell recovery capacity remains unknown we investigated these aspects in offspring from mice treated with dexamethasone (DEX) in the late pregnancy. Half of the pups were treated with streptozotocin (STZ) on the sixth postnatal day (PN). Functional and molecular analyses were performed in male offspring on PN25 and PN225.

The Vagus Nerve and Spleen: Influence on White Adipose Mass and Histology of Obese and Non-obese Rats.

The vagus nerve (VN) and spleen represent a complex interface between neural and immunological functions, affecting both energy metabolism and white adipose tissue (WAT) content. Here, we evaluated whether vagal and splenic axis participates in WAT mass regulation in obese and non-obese male Wistar rats. High doses of monosodium glutamate (M; 4 g/Kg) were administered during the neonatal period to induce hypothalamic lesion and obesity (M-Obese rats).

Vagotomy and Splenectomy Reduce Insulin Secretion and Interleukin-1β.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of vagotomy, when associated with splenectomy, on adiposity and glucose homeostasis in Wistar rats.

Methods: Rats were divided into 4 groups: vagotomized (VAG), splenectomized (SPL), VAG + SPL, and SHAM. Glucose tolerance tests were performed, and physical and biochemical parameters evaluated.

Resistance exercise training improves glucose homeostasis by enhancing insulin secretion in C57BL/6 mice.

Resistance exercise exerts beneficial effects on glycemic control, which could be mediated by exercise-induced humoral factors released in the bloodstream. Here, we used C57Bl/6 healthy mice, submitted to resistance exercise training for 10 weeks. Trained mice presented higher muscle weight and maximum voluntary carrying capacity, combined with reduced body weight gain and fat deposition.

Long-term increase of insulin secretion in mice subjected to pregnancy and lactation.

Purpose: Observational studies show that longer breastfeeding periods reduce maternal risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, it is currently unknown if the long-term benefits of breastfeeding for maternal glucose homeostasis are linked to changes in the endocrine pancreas.

Methods: We presently evaluated functional, morphological and molecular aspects of the endocrine pancreas of mice subjected to two sequential cycles of pregnancy and lactation (L21).

ARHGAP21 deficiency impairs hepatic lipid metabolism and improves insulin signaling in lean and obese mice.

ARHGAP21 is a Rho-GAP that controls GTPases activity in several tissues, but its role on liver lipid metabolism is unknown. Thus, to achieve the Rho-GAP role in the liver, control and ARHGAP21-haplodeficient mice were fed chow (Ctl and Het) or high-fat diet (Ctl-HFD and Het-HFD) for 12 weeks, and pyruvate and insulin tolerance tests, insulin signaling, liver glycogen and triglycerides content, gene and protein expression, and very-low-density lipoprotein secretion were measured. Het mice displayed reduced body weight and plasma triglycerides levels, and increased liver insulin signaling.

Whole-Body ARHGAP21-Deficiency Improves Energetic Homeostasis in Lean and Obese Mice.

Inhibition of Rab-GAP TBC1 domain family member 1 (TBC1D1) reduces body weight and increases energy expenditure in mice. Here, we assessed the possible involvement of GTPase activating protein 21 (ARHGAP21), a Rho-GAP protein, in energy homeostasis. Wild-type and whole-body ARHGAP21-haplodeficient mice were fed either chow or high-fat diet for 10 weeks.

The Bile Acid TUDCA Improves Beta-Cell Mass and Reduces Insulin Degradation in Mice With Early-Stage of Type-1 Diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is characterized by impairment in beta-cell mass and insulin levels, resulting in hyperglycemia and diabetic complications. Since diagnosis, appropriate control of glycaemia in T1D requires insulin administration, which can result in side effects, such as hypoglycemia. In this sense, some bile acids have emerged as new therapeutic targets to treat T1D and T2D, as well as metabolic diseases.

Combined oral contraceptive in female mice causes hyperinsulinemia due to β-cell hypersecretion and reduction in insulin clearance.

Oral contraception is the most commonly used interventional method in the world. However, several women employ the continuous use of these hormones to avoid pre- and menstruation discomforts. Some studies indicate that oral contraceptives are associated with disturbances in glycemia and the effects of the use of a continuous regime are poorly elucidated.

Taurine supplementation in high-fat diet fed male mice attenuates endocrine pancreatic dysfunction in their male offspring.

Obesity in fathers leads to DNA damage and epigenetic changes in sperm that may carry potential risk factors for metabolic diseases to the next generation. Taurine (TAU) supplementation has demonstrated benefits against testicular dysfunction and pancreatic islet impairments induced by obesity, but it is not known if these protective actions prevent the propagation of metabolic disruptions to the next generation; as such, we hypothesized that paternal obesity may increase the probability of endocrine pancreatic dysfunction in offspring, and that this could be prevented by TAU supplementation in male progenitors. To test this, male C57Bl/6 mice were fed on a control diet (CTL) or a high-fat diet (HFD) without or with 5% TAU in their drinking water (CTAU and HTAU) for 4 months.

Amino acid restriction increases β-cell death under challenging conditions.

Malnutrition programs metabolism, favor dysfunction of β cells. We aimed to establish an in vitro protocol of malnutrition, assessing the effect of amino acid restriction upon the β cells. Insulin-producing cells INS-1E and pancreatic islets were maintained in RPMI 1640 medium containing 1× (Ctl) or 0.

Protein malnutrition mitigates the effects of a high-fat diet on glucose homeostasis in mice.

Nutrient malnutrition, during the early stages of development, may facilitate the onset of metabolic diseases later in life. However, the consequences of nutritional insults, such as a high-fat diet (HFD) after protein restriction, are still controversial. We assessed overall glucose homeostasis and molecular markers of mitochondrial function in the gastrocnemius muscle of protein-restricted mice fed an HFD until early adulthood.

Taurine supplementation induces long-term beneficial effects on glucose homeostasis in ob/ob mice.

The sulfur-containing amino acid, taurine (Tau), regulates glucose and lipid homeostasis under normal, pre- and diabetic conditions. Here, we aimed to verify whether Tau supplementation exerts its beneficial effects against obesity, hyperglycemia and alterations in islet functions, in leptin-deficient obese (ob/ob), over a long period of treatment. From weaning until 12 months of age, female ob/ob mice received, or not, 5% Tau in drinking water (obTau group).

Bile acid TUDCA improves insulin clearance by increasing the expression of insulin-degrading enzyme in the liver of obese mice.

Disruption of insulin secretion and clearance both contribute to obesity-induced hyperinsulinemia, though reduced insulin clearance seems to be the main factor. The liver is the major site for insulin degradation, a process mainly coordinated by the insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE). The beneficial effects of taurine conjugated bile acid (TUDCA) on insulin secretion as well as insulin sensitivity have been recently described.

Protein malnutrition after weaning disrupts peripheral clock and daily insulin secretion in mice.

Changes in nutritional state may alter circadian rhythms through alterations in expression of clock genes. Protein deficiency has a profound effect on body metabolism, but the effect of this nutrient restriction after weaning on biological clock has not been explored. Thus, this study aims to investigate whether the protein restriction affects the daily oscillation in the behavior and metabolic rhythms, as well as expression of clock genes in peripheral tissues.

Vagotomy Reduces Insulin Clearance in Obese Mice Programmed by Low-Protein Diet in the Adolescence.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of subdiaphragmatic vagotomy on insulin sensitivity, secretion, and degradation in metabolic programmed mice, induced by a low-protein diet early in life, followed by exposure to a high-fat diet in adulthood. Weaned 30-day-old C57Bl/6 mice were submitted to a low-protein diet (6% protein). After 4 weeks, the mice were distributed into three groups: LP group, which continued receiving a low-protein diet; LP + HF group, which started to receive a high-fat diet; and LP + HFvag group, which underwent vagotomy and also was kept at a high-fat diet.

Protein malnutrition blunts the increment of taurine transporter expression by a high-fat diet and impairs taurine reestablishment of insulin secretion.

Taurine (Tau) restores β-cell function in obesity; however, its action is lost in malnourished obese rodents. Here, we investigated the mechanisms involved in the lack of effects of Tau in this model. C57BL/6 mice were fed a control diet (CD) (14% protein) or a protein-restricted diet (RD) (6% protein) for 6 wk.