Thermogenesis-independent metabolic benefits conferred by isocaloric intermittent fasting in ob/ob mice.

Intermittent fasting (IF) is an effective dietary intervention to counteract obesity-associated metabolic abnormalities. Previously, we and others have highlighted white adipose tissue (WAT) browning as the main underlying mechanism of IF-mediated metabolic benefits. However, whether IF retains its efficacy in different models, such as genetically obese/diabetic animals, is unknown.

CD36 mediates albumin transcytosis by dermal but not lung microvascular endothelial cells: role in fatty acid delivery.

In healthy blood vessels, albumin crosses the endothelium to leave the circulation by transcytosis. However, little is known about the regulation of albumin transcytosis or how it differs in different tissues; its physiological purpose is also unclear. Using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, we quantified transcytosis of albumin across primary human microvascular endothelial cells from both lung and skin.

Cilostazol protects hepatocytes against alcohol-induced apoptosis via activation of AMPK pathway.

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a worldwide health problem and hepatocyte apoptosis has been associated with the development/progression of ALD. However, no definite effective pharmacotherapy for ALD is currently available. Cilostazol, a selective type III phosphodiesterase inhibitor has been shown to protect hepatocytes from ethanol-induced apoptosis.

Evaluation of tissue Doppler ultrasonographic and strain imaging for assessment of myocardial dysfunction in dogs with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE To investigate cardiac structural and functional changes by tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) and strain imaging in dogs with spontaneous type 1 diabetes mellitus. ANIMALS 30 client-owned dogs, of which 10 had normotensive type 1 diabetes mellitus and 20 were healthy. PROCEDURES All dogs underwent physical examination, laboratory analyses, standard echocardiography, and TDI.

Rate of left ventricular pressure change by Doppler echocardiography in dogs with chronic mitral valve disease at different stages of congestive heart failure.

Although the major pathological feature of chronic mitral valve disease is mitral regurgitation, myocardial dysfunction has been suggested to be present in dogs with chronic mitral valve disease. However, accurate assessment of myocardial function remains challenging. Doppler-derived rate of left ventricular pressure change is a simple, less load-dependent method for evaluating myocardial function.

Intermittent fasting promotes adipose thermogenesis and metabolic homeostasis via VEGF-mediated alternative activation of macrophage.

Intermittent fasting (IF), a periodic energy restriction, has been shown to provide health benefits equivalent to prolonged fasting or caloric restriction. However, our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of IF-mediated metabolic benefits is limited. Here we show that isocaloric IF improves metabolic homeostasis against diet-induced obesity and metabolic dysfunction primarily through adipose thermogenesis in mice.

Analogues of Dehydroacetic Acid as Selective and Potent Agonists of an Ectopic Odorant Receptor through a Combination of Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Interactions.

Identification of potent agonists of odorant receptors (ORs), a major class of G protein-coupled receptors, remains challenging due to complex receptor-ligand interactions. ORs are present in both olfactory and non-chemosensory tissues, indicating roles beyond odor detection that may include modulating physiological functions in non-olfactory tissues. Selective and potent agonists specific for particular ORs can be used to investigate physiological functions of ORs in non-chemosensory tissues.

Raffinose, a plant galactoside, inhibits Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm formation via binding to LecA and decreasing cellular cyclic diguanylate levels.

Biofilm formation on biotic or abiotic surfaces has unwanted consequences in medical, clinical, and industrial settings. Treatments with antibiotics or biocides are often ineffective in eradicating biofilms. Promising alternatives to conventional agents are biofilm-inhibiting compounds regulating biofilm development without toxicity to growth.

Structure-based design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of Leu-Arg dipeptide analogs as novel hepsin inhibitors.

Hepsin, a type II transmembrane serine protease, is an attractive protein as a potential therapeutic and diagnostic biomarker for prostate cancer because it is highly up-regulated in prostate cancer and promotes both progression and metastasis. Starting from the reported tetrapeptide hepsin inhibitor Ac-KQLR-ketothiazole (kt) (1), we investigated the minimal structural requirements for hepsin inhibitory activity by truncating amino acids at the N-terminus. The kt and ketobenzothiazole (kbt) dipeptide analogs Ac-LR-kt (3) and Ac-LR-kbt (15) were found to be potent hepsin inhibitors, exhibiting Ki values of 22nM and 3nM, respectively.

Carborane-containing urea-based inhibitors of glutamate carboxypeptidase II: Synthesis and structural characterization.

Glutamate carboxypeptidase II (GCPII) is a zinc metalloprotease on the surface of astrocytes which cleaves N-acetylaspartylglutamate to release N-acetylaspartate and glutamate. GCPII inhibitors can decrease glutamate concentration and play a protective role against apoptosis or degradation of brain neurons. Herein, we report the synthesis and structural analysis of novel carborane-based GCPII inhibitors.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of 4-(alkyloxy)-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2-one derivatives as quorum sensing inhibitors.

Novel pyrone-derived quorum sensing (QS) ligands to inhibit the binding of OdDHL to the LasR of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were designed, synthesized and evaluated. Among the analogs, the most potent compound 8 exhibited strong in vitro inhibitory activities against biofilm formation and down-regulated OdDHL/LasR-associated genes by 35-67%. The binding mode of 8 in silico was highly similar to that of the crystal ligand OdDHL in the active site of LasR.

Effect of exercise intensity on unfolded protein response in skeletal muscle of rat.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, unfolded protein response (UPR), and mitochondrial biogenesis were assessed following varying intensities of exercise training. The animals were randomly assigned to receive either low- (LIT, n=7) or high intensity training (HIT, n=7), or were assigned to a control group (n=7). Over 5 weeks, the animals in the LIT were exercised on a treadmill with a 10° incline for 60 min at a speed of 20 m/min group, and in the HIT group at a speed of 34 m/min for 5 days a week.