Metabolic rate and its covariation with body mass vary substantially within and among species in little understood ways. Here, I critically review explanations (and supporting data) concerning how cell size and number and their establishment by cell expansion and multiplication may affect metabolic rate and its scaling with body mass. Cell size and growth may affect size-specific metabolic rate, as well as the vertical elevation (metabolic level) and slope (exponent) of metabolic scaling relationships. Mechanistic causes of negative correlations between cell size and metabolic rate may involve reduced resource supply and/or demand in larger cells, related to decreased surface area per volume, larger intracellular resource-transport distances, lower metabolic costs of ionic regulation, slower cell multiplication and somatic growth, and larger intracellular deposits of metabolically inert materials in some tissues. A cell-size perspective helps to explain some (but not all) variation in metabolic rate and its body-mass scaling and thus should be included in any multi-mechanistic theory attempting to explain the full diversity of metabolic scaling. A cell-size approach may also help conceptually integrate studies of the biological regulation of cellular growth and metabolism with those concerning major transitions in ontogenetic development and associated shifts in metabolic scaling.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/biology11081106 | DOI Listing |
Stress
December 2025
Technology Transfer and Innovation-Support Office, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
Background: Self-reported mental stress is not consistently recognized as a risk factor for stroke. This prompted development of a novel algorithm for stress-phenotype indices to quantify chronic stress prevalence in relation to a modified stroke risk score in a South African cohort. The algorithm is based on biomarkers adrenocorticotrophic hormone, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-sensitive cardiac-troponin-T, and diastolic blood pressure which exemplifies the stress-ischemic-phenotype index.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVirulence
December 2025
Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
Amino acid metabolism provides significant insight into the development and prevention of many viral diseases. Therefore, the present study aimed to compare the amino acid profiles of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) patients with those of healthy individuals and to further reveal the molecular mechanisms of HFMD severity. Using UPLC-MS/MS, we determined the plasma amino acid expression profiles of pediatric patients with HFMD (mild, = 42; severe, = 43) and healthy controls ( = 25).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExpert Opin Ther Pat
December 2024
Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drugs Design & Discovery of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China.
Introduction: Xanthine oxidase (XO) catalyzes the oxidation of both hypoxanthine and xanthine in the last two steps of the purine metabolic pathway, serving as a rate-limiting enzyme for uric acid production as well as a key target for the treatment of gout and other hyperuricemia-related conditions.
Areas Covered: This paper reviews XO inhibitors in patents from 2021 to the present. We summarize in detail the structural classes and characteristics, in vitro and in vivo biological results, and structure‒activity relationships of synthetic inhibitors, as well as the sources, specific structures, research methods, and biological activities of XO inhibitors from natural products.
Biotechnol Bioeng
December 2024
Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
Acetogenic bacteria play an important role in various biotechnological processes, because of their chemolithoautotrophic metabolism converting carbon dioxide with molecular hydrogen (H) as electron donor into acetate. As the main factor limiting acetogenesis is often H, insights into the H consumption kinetics of acetogens are required to assess their potential in biotechnological processes. In this study, initial H consumption rates at a range of different initial H concentrations were measured for three different acetogens.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClin Transl Med
January 2025
Department of Gynecology, West China Second Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Background: Hypoxia can affect the occurrence and development of inflammation in humans, but its effects on the disease progression of osteoarthritis (OA) remain unclear. Synovial macrophages play an essential role in the progression of arthritis. Specifically, the activation of the NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) in macrophages induces the secretion of a series of inflammatory factors, accelerating the progression of OA.
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