Anti-diabetic activity of Chiliadenus iphionoides.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Chiliadenus iphionoides (Boiss. & Blanche) Brullo (Asteraceae), a small aromatic shrub found throughout Israel, is used traditionally in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. In this study, Chiliadenus iphionoides anti-diabetic activity was characterized using cellular and animal models.

Fatty liver is associated with impaired activity of PPARγ-coactivator 1α (PGC1α) and mitochondrial biogenesis in mice.

Accumulating evidence indicates that mitochondria have a key role in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). C57BL/6J mice were fed a choline-deficient, ethionine-supplemented (CDE) diet. Histological studies demonstrated accumulation of fat vacuoles in up to 90% of hepatocytes in mice fed the CDE diet for 14 days.

The configuration of the alpha and beta subunit domains in single-chain bovine LH analogs influences the secretion and steroidogenic response.

The gonadotrophins LH, FSH and human (h) CG are non-covalent heterodimers composed of a common alpha and the hormone-unique beta subunit. LH regulates the production of androgens and progestins in the follicle, and the levels of these steroids are critical for the ovarian function. Structural features of the gonadotrophins involved in the steroidogenic response of the ovary are not completely understood.

The steroidogenic effect of single-chain bovine LH analogs in cultured bovine follicular cells.

Single-chain gonadotropin analogs had been constructed for the purpose of structure-function studies and analog design. Incorporation of a spacer derived from the carboxyl terminal peptide (CTP) of the choriogonadotropin (CG) beta subunit between the tethered subunit domains of the human gonadotropins is beneficial for the secretion of the single-chain variants without compromising biocactivity. Although the CGbeta subunit containing the CTP domain is expressed only in primates and equids, a CTP-like sequence exists in the untranslated region of the LHbeta gene of several mammalian species, including the bovine species.