Endocrine Abstracts

There is a significant body of research that demonstrates an association between central (visceral) obesity, insulin resistance, endothelial dysfunction and accelerated atherosclerosis, but the molecular mechanisms underlying this link are incompletely understood. In cultured human aortic endothelial cell (HAEC) models, insulin stimulates an intracellular signalling cascade resulting in activating phosphorylation of Insulin Receptor Substrate-1, Protein kinase B (PKB/Akt) and ...

Adipose tissue inflammation may be an important mechanism in the development of systemic insulin resistance, such that modulation of this system may be a therapeutic target for type 2 diabetes and obesity-related disorders. AMPK has anti-inflammatory properties, yet the anti-inflammatory actions of AMPK in adipocytes remain poorly characterised. We questioned whether AMPK activation influences pro-inflammatory responses in cultured adipocytes in basal and stimulated conditions...

The increasing global prevalence of obesity requires urgent intervention to limit the anticipated surge of associated cardiometabolic morbidity and mortality. The energy sensor AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is one proposed target for treating metabolic disorders and is downregulated in adipose tissue of obese insulin resistant individuals. Given the strong relationship between metabolic syndrome and overactivity of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) we inves...