Publications by authors named "Kevin Van Dongen"

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a major global health issue and a significant risk factor for atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis in T2DM patients has been associated with inflammation, insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and oxidative stress. Identifying molecular features of atherosclerotic plaques in T2DM patients could provide valuable insights into the pathogenesis of the disease.

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Article Synopsis
  • Recent studies show that LPCAT3 is crucial for maintaining the composition of fatty acids in cell membranes of the liver and intestine, aiding in processes like lipid absorption and lipoprotein secretion.
  • This study investigates the role of LPCAT3 in macrophages, using a mouse model deficient in Lpcat3, revealing that reduced Lpcat3 affects the composition of fatty acids in phospholipids without impacting inflammation or stress responses.
  • While Lpcat3 deficiency led to reduced cholesterol efflux in macrophages and mild liver fat accumulation on a high-fat diet, it did not significantly influence atherosclerosis development in the tested mice.*
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Bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPSs or endotoxins) can bind most proteins of the lipid transfer/LPS-binding protein (LT/LBP) family in host organisms. The LPS-bound LT/LBP proteins then trigger either an LPS-induced proinflammatory cascade or LPS binding to lipoproteins that are involved in endotoxin inactivation and detoxification. Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) is an LT/LBP member, but its impact on LPS metabolism and sepsis outcome is unclear.

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Background And Purpose: Subset of macrophages within the atheroma plaque displays a high glucose uptake activity. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanisms and the pathophysiological significance of this high glucose need remain unclear. While the role for hypoxia and hypoxia inducible factor 1α has been demonstrated, the contribution of lipid micro-environment and more specifically oxysterols is yet to be explored.

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Mitochondria have emerged as key actors of innate and adaptive immunity. Mitophagy has a pivotal role in cell homeostasis, but its contribution to macrophage functions and host defense remains to be delineated. Here, we showed that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in combination with IFN-γ inhibited PINK1-dependent mitophagy in macrophages through a STAT1-dependent activation of the inflammatory caspases 1 and 11.

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