Identification of endocannabinoids and related compounds in human fat cells.

Objective: Recently, an activation of the endocannabinoid system during obesity has been reported. More particularly, it has been demonstrated that hypothalamic levels of both endocannabinoids, 2-arachidonoylglycerol and anandamide (N-arachidonoylethanolamine), are up-regulated in genetically obese rodents. Circulating levels of both endocannabinoids were also shown to be higher in obese compared with lean women.

Assessment of temperature effects on beta-aggregation of native and glycated albumin by FTIR spectroscopy and PAGE: relations between structural changes and antioxidant properties.

Structural modifications of bovine serum albumin (BSA) induced by heating, and the involvement of glycation of albumin in such processing were studied by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). For native BSA, heating treatments gave rise to beta structures which were amplified to the detriment of alpha-helix form, and which were associated with increased aggregation. A very high correlation was obtained between FTIR Amide I band evolution and aggregation rate parameters, showing the contribution of beta-form in aggregates formation.

Effects of oxidative modifications induced by the glycation of bovine serum albumin on its structure and on cultured adipose cells.

Non-enzymatic glycosylation (glycation) and oxidative damages represent major research areas insofar as such modifications of proteins are frequently observed in numerous states of disease. Albumin undergoes structural and functional alterations, caused by increased glycosylation during non insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, which is closely linked with the early occurrence of vascular complications. In this work, we first characterized structural modifications induced by the glycation of bovine serum albumin (BSA).

Fibroblasts inhibit the production of interleukin-12p70 by murine dendritic cells.

Interleukin-12 p70 (IL-12p70) is a key cytokine produced by dendritic cells (DC) able to drive the development of T helper type 1 (Th1) lymphocytes. We showed that thymic and other fibroblasts strongly inhibit IL-12p70 production by splenic DC stimulated by lipopolysaccharide plus either anti-CD40 or interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and by purified splenic DC stimulated by Pansorbin plus IFN-gamma. This IL-12p70 inhibitory activity is secreted in the conditioned medium of primary fibroblasts and fibroblast cell lines but not by haematopoietic cell lines.