Selective activation of PPARgamma in skeletal muscle induces endogenous production of adiponectin and protects mice from diet-induced insulin resistance.

The nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)gamma plays a key role in regulating whole body glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity. Although it is expressed most highly in adipose, it is also present at lower levels in many tissues, including skeletal muscle. The role muscle PPARgamma plays in metabolic regulation and in mediating the antidiabetic effects of the thiazolidinediones is not understood.

Secretory products of central nervous system glial cells induce Schwann cell proliferation and protect from cytokine-mediated death.

There continues to be interest in Schwann cells (SC) as a possible source of myelinating cells for transplantation into the central nervous system (CNS) of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and spinal cord injury. It has been suggested that CNS glial cells interfere with SC migration, survival, maturation, and clinically significant remyelination in the CNS. To investigate the effects of CNS glial cells on SC, we examined the effects of serum-free supernatants obtained from rat mixed CNS glial cultures on rat neonatal SC cultures.