Bariatric Surgery Improves the Atherogenic Profile of Circulating Methylarginines in Obese Patients: Results from a Pilot Study.

Bariatric surgery improves obesity-related comorbidities. Methylarginines are biomarkers of cardiometabolic risk, liver steatosis, and insulin resistance. Here, we aimed to investigate methylarginines in obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery and compared them to age- and sex-matched healthy subjects.

Plasma lipidomic analysis reveals strong similarities between lipid fingerprints in human, hamster and mouse compared to other animal species.

Cardiovascular diseases are often associated with impaired lipid metabolism. Animal models are useful for deciphering the physiological mechanisms underlying these pathologies. However, lipid metabolism is contrasted between species limiting the transposition of findings from animals to human.

Estrogen-related receptor alpha and PGC-1-related coactivator constitute a novel complex mediating the biogenesis of functional mitochondria.

Mitochondrial biogenesis, which depends on nuclear as well as mitochondrial genes, occurs in response to increased cellular ATP demand. The nuclear transcriptional factors, estrogen-related receptor alpha (ERRalpha) and nuclear respiratory factors 1 and 2, are associated with the coordination of the transcriptional machinery governing mitochondrial biogenesis, whereas coactivators of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 (PGC-1) family serve as mediators between the environment and this machinery. In the context of proliferating cells, PGC-1-related coactivator (PRC) is a member of the PGC-1 family, which is known to act in partnership with nuclear respiratory factors, but no functional interference between PRC and ERRalpha has been described so far.

PGC-1-related coactivator modulates mitochondrial-nuclear crosstalk through endogenous nitric oxide in a cellular model of oncocytic thyroid tumours.

Background: The PGC-1 related coactivator (PRC), which shares structural and functional features with PGC-1alpha, is believed to regulate several metabolic pathways as well as mitochondrial biogenesis. Its involvement in the early programming of cell proliferation suggests the existence of finely regulated crosstalk between mitochondrial functions and the cell cycle status.

Methodology/principal Findings: PRC-regulated pathways were explored in a cell-line model derived from mitochondrial-rich tumours with an essentially oxidative metabolism and specifically high PRC expression.

Identification and design of peptides as a new drug delivery system for the brain.

By controlling access to the brain, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) restricts the entry of proteins and potential drugs to cerebral tissues. We demonstrate here the transcytosis ability of aprotinin and peptides derived from Kunitz domains using an in vitro model of the BBB and in situ brain perfusion. Aprotinin transcytosis across bovine brain capillary endothelial cell (BBCEC) monolayers is at least 10-fold greater than that of holo-transferrin.

High transcytosis of melanotransferrin (P97) across the blood-brain barrier.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) performs a neuroprotective function by tightly controlling access to the brain; consequently it also impedes access of proteins as well as pharmacological agents to cerebral tissues. We demonstrate here that recombinant human melanotransferrin (P97) is highly accumulated into the mouse brain following intravenous injection and in situ brain perfusion. Moreover, P97 transcytosis across bovine brain capillary endothelial cell (BBCEC) monolayers is at least 14-fold higher than that of holo-transferrin, with no apparent intra-endothelial degradation.