Sex-Specific Control of Fat Mass and Counterregulation by Hypothalamic Glucokinase.

Glucokinase (Gck) is a critical regulator of glucose-induced insulin secretion by pancreatic β-cells. It has been suggested to also play an important role in glucose signaling in neurons of the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMN), a brain nucleus involved in the control of glucose homeostasis and feeding. To test the role of Gck in VMN glucose sensing and physiological regulation, we studied mice with genetic inactivation of the Gck gene in Sf1 neurons of the VMN (Sf1Gck(-/-) mice).

The central question of type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) represents a significant global epidemic with more than 285 million people affected worldwide. Regulating glycemia in T2D patients can be partially achieved with currently available treatment, but intensive research during the last decades have led to the discovery of modified compounds or new targets that could represent great hope for safe and effective treatment in the future. Among them, targets in the CNS that are known to control feeding and body weight have been also shown to exert glucoregulatory actions, and could be a key in the development of a new generation of drugs in the field of T2D.

Gastric distension activates NUCB2/nesfatin-1-expressing neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract.

Brainstem structures such as the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) and the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve (DMNX) are essential for the digestive function of the stomach. A large number of neurotransmitters including glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) are involved in the central control of gastric functions. However, the neuropeptidergic systems implicated in this process remain undetermined.

Advances in deoxynivalenol toxicity mechanisms: the brain as a target.

Deoxynivalenol (DON), mainly produced by Fusarium fungi, and also commonly called vomitoxin, is a trichothecene mycotoxin. It is one of the most abundant trichothecenes which contaminate cereals consumed by farm animals and humans. The extent of cereal contamination is strongly associated with rainfall and moisture at the time of flowering and with grain storage conditions.

c-Fos immunoreactivity in the pig brain following deoxynivalenol intoxication: focus on NUCB2/nesfatin-1 expressing neurons.

Deoxynivalenol (DON), produced by the cereal-contaminating Fusarium fungi, is a major trichothecene responsible for mycotoxicoses in farm animals, including swine. The main effect of DON-intoxication is food intake reduction and the consequent body weight loss. The present study aimed to identify brain structures activated during DON intoxication in pigs.

The food-contaminant deoxynivalenol modifies eating by targeting anorexigenic neurocircuitry.

Physiological regulations of energy balance and body weight imply highly adaptive mechanisms which match caloric intake to caloric expenditure. In the central nervous system, the regulation of appetite relies on complex neurocircuitry which disturbance may alter energy balance and result in anorexia or obesity. Deoxynivalenol (DON), a trichothecene, is one of the most abundant mycotoxins found on contaminated cereals and its stability during processing and cooking explains its widespread presence in human food.

Central inflammation and sickness-like behavior induced by the food contaminant deoxynivalenol: a PGE2-independent mechanism.

Deoxynivalenol (DON), one of the most abundant trichothecenes found on cereals, has been implicated in mycotoxicoses in both humans and farm animals. Low-dose toxicity is characterized by reduced weight gain, diminished nutritional efficiency, and immunologic effects. The levels and patterns of human food commodity contamination justify that DON consumption constitutes a public health issue.

An update in the management of obesity: the weight of CNS targets.

Obesity is one of the most important and disturbing global epidemic that affects humans, with more than 2 billion people overweight and 700 million obese predicted for 2015 by the World Health Organization. Obesity treatment represents then one of the most exciting challenges for the academic researchers and the pharmaceutical industry. But to date, this community failed to develop safe and effective treatments with a good risk/benefit profile.

Glial cells of the nucleus tractus solitarius as partners of the dorsal hindbrain regulation of energy balance: a proposal for a working hypothesis.

While the evidences emphasizing the role of astroglial cells in numerous aspects of information processing within the brain merges, the literature dealing with the involvement of this cell population in the signalization involved in feeding behavior and energetic homeostasis remains scarce. Nevertheless, some clues are now available indicating that glia could play a dynamic role in the regulation of energy balance, and that strengthening research effort in this field may further our understanding of the mechanisms controlling feeding behaviour. In the present review, we have summarized recent data indicating that the multifaceted glial compartment of the brainstem should be considered in future research aimed at identifying feeding-related processes operating at this level.

Central nesfatin-1-expressing neurons are sensitive to peripheral inflammatory stimulus.

Recently, a novel factor with anorexigenic properties was identified and called nesfatin-1. This protein (82 aac) is not only expressed in peripheral organs but it is also found in neurons located in specific structures including the hypothalamus and the brainstem, two sites strongly involved in food intake regulation. Here, we studied whether some of the neurons that become activated following an injection of an anorectic dose of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) exhibit a nesfatin-1 phenotype.