Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Insulin resistance and ageing are risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis. Insulin signalling in macrophages affects their inflammatory responses and foam cell formation capacity, yet the mechanisms linking these remain unclear. Recent evidence has emerged linking macrophage lipid metabolism and inflammatory response such as an interferon-cholesterol pathway flux axis. Insulin has been shown to directly regulate chol...

Background: Intrahepatic triglyceride (IHTG) accumulation, a cardiometabolic disease risk factor, is greater in individuals consuming saturated-fat (SFA) compared to polyunsaturated-fat (PUFA) enriched diets. We have demonstrated that compared to SFA, PUFA are preferentially partitioned into oxidation pathways, which may, in part, explain the divergence in IHTG accumulation. However, it remains unclear if this preferential handling is maintained when hepatocel...

Background: Maternal B12 deficiency is linked with adverse metabolic disorders in infants. B12 has a potential epigenetic role which could influence placental dysfunction and fetal metabolism. Adipokines such as leptin and adiponectin play a major role in placental development by regulating lipid metabolism. Alterations in in-utero programming develop risk to obesity and metabolic diseases in offspring. B12 deficiency in mothers has been linked with higher cor...

Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (OTCD) is the most common urea cycle disorder (UCD) with a prevalence of one in 60-70,000 in humans. It is mainly caused by mutations in the OTC gene, which encodes the enzyme ornithine transcarbamylase. Patients with OTCD present disturbed urea cycle function and ammonia accumulation in the bloodstream, downstream leading to a range of symptoms, including developmental delay, cerebral oedema, coma, and death. We developed a human...