Endocrine Abstracts

Obesity is associated with a significantly increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers together with numerous other medical problems. During the last 10 years in particular, there has been a conceptual transformation of adipose tissue from an inert store of energy into an active endocrine organ that participates in the maintenance of normal energy homeostasis through its interactions with organs such as muscle, liver and the brain. In addition, it has b...

Background: Low vitamin B12 (B12) during pregnancy is associated with higher maternal obesity, insulin resistance (IR) and gestational diabetes (GDM). However, it is not clear whether these are causally related.Objective: B12 is a key co-factor of the DNA methylation cycle (1-carbon metabolism). We hypothesize that B12 plays a role in epigenetic regulation by altering circulating miRNAs (miRs) during adipocyte differentiation...

Background: Low vitamin B12 (B12) during pregnancy is associated with higher maternal obesity, insulin resistance (IR) and gestational diabetes (GDM). However, it is not clear whether these are causally related.Objective: B12 is a key co-factor of the DNA methylation cycle (1-carbon metabolism). We hypothesize that B12 plays a role in epigenetic regulation by altering circulating miRNAs (miRs) during adipocyte differentiation...

Background: Dysfunctional endoplasmic reticula (ER) and mitochondria contribute to the pathogenesis of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This may, in part, be facilitated by cross-talk between the two organelles during conditions of nutrient excess such as obesity, however the potential impact of ER stress on mitochondrial function has not been well studied. This study investigated whether induction of ER stress in human adipocytes may contribute to mitochondrial dy...

Background/objectives: Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a potent hormone known to reduce glycaemia and improve insulin resistance with anti-obesity effects. Although mainly secreted in the liver, adipose tissue is considered an important target for its function. Whilst FGF21 has been shown to be expressed in murine adipose tissue, studies in human adipose tissue are lacking. Therefore our aim was to examine the expression of FGF21, FGF21 receptor-1 (FGFR1), βKlotho ...

Replacement with mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) or poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) reduces inflammation in the pre-diabetic subjects but the benefits are unclear in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Our aim was to investigate whether saturated fatty acids (SFA), MUFA and PUFA produce a similar adipocyte inflammatory response, which may explain the rationale for maintained systemic inflammation noted in subjects with T2DM. The differentiated human preadipo...

Background: Adipose tissue (AT) may have a significant role in obesity associated inflammation but, the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of obesity induced inflammation remains unclear. Recent murine studies indicate that ER stress is critical to the initiation and integration of inflammation and insulin signalling pathways. The ER stress occurs primarily due to accumulation of unfolded proteins and results in activation of the unfolded protein response to restore ER hom...

We have previously shown that the orexigenic hormone NPY is secreted by human adipocytes. The orexigenic hormone NPY(1–36) is truncated by the dipeptidyl-inhibitor IV (DPP-IV) to NPY(3–36) as consequence its affinity changes from receptor Y1 to Y4 and 5. The aim was to investigate whether DPP-IV is expressed in adipose tissue (AT) where it could modulate adipose tissue growth through modulation of NPY activity. This is relevant in light of DPP-IV inhibitors utilised ...

Background: Metabolic endotoxaemia (raised bacterial endotoxin in serum after high-fat feeding) has been shown to reduce insulin sensitivity in humans through systemic inflammation and oxidative stress. Mitochondria represent the main source of cellular reactive oxygen species and mutations in mitochondrial DNA often result in a diabetic phenotype. However, the direct cellular impact of endotoxin on mitochondrial respiration and DNA integrity, particularly within the context o...

Background: Small frequent meals are often recommended for weight loss, with supporting evidence often provided from studies in diabetes. Dietary meal content is also relevant, as high fat meals cause systemic inflammation via gut derived bacteria, endotoxin. As such, repeated meals may exacerbate this. In contrast, dietary induced thermogenesis, related to meal size, may reduce with small frequent meals.Aim: Therefore, the aim of this study was to compa...