From Entero-Endocrine Cell Biology to Surgical Interventional Therapies for Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes mellitus remission in sleeve gastrectomy patients: Role of enteroendocrine response and serum citrulline and I-FABP levels

INTRODUCTION

This prospective cohort study examines the relationship between post-sleeve gastrectomy (SG) weight loss and serum citrulline, I-FABP levels, and the I-FABP/citrulline ratio in obese patients, alongside the correlation with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remission.

METHODS

88 participants were enrolled, including 48 undergoing SG and 21 with T2DM. 40 healthy individuals served as controls. Preoperative and 1-year postoperative assessments included citrulline, I-FABP, glucose, insulin, HbA1c, and C peptide levels.

RESULTS

Significant weight loss and T2DM remission (11/21) were observed post-SG. Preoperatively, patients had low citrulline and high I-FABP levels, which normalized postoperatively. A positive correlation was found between the I-FABP/citrulline ratio and weight, BMI, glucose, insulin, and C peptide levels.

CONCLUSION

SG not only induces enterocyte dysfunction and mass recovery but also may facilitate T2DM remission and alleviate obesity-related effects on the enteroendocrine system. These findings highlight the potential beneficial effects of SG on enteroendocrine function in obese patients.

Individuals with type 2 diabetes have higher density of small intestinal neurotensin-expressing cells

Neurotensin (NT) is a gastro-intestinal hormone involved in several pathways that regulate energy and glucose homeostasis. NT was hypothesized to act in synergy with incretin hormones to potentiate its anti-diabetic effects. Additionally, circulating NT levels were shown to rise after bariatric surgery-induced weight loss. Knowledge of NT-secreting cells distribution along the small intestine and its variation according to diabetes status could provide insights on NT role in mediating type 2 diabetes (T2D) improvement after bariatric surgery. So, our aims were to characterize NT-expressing cell distribution along the human small intestine and to compare the relative density of NT-expressing cells in the small intestine of individuals with and without T2D undergoing bariatric surgery for obesity treatment. Autopsy-derived small intestine fragments (n = 30) were obtained at every 20 cm along the entire intestinal length. Additionally, jejunum biopsies (n = 29) were obtained during elective gastric bypass interventions from patients with (n = 10) or without T2D (n = 18). NT-expressing cells were identified by immunohistochemistry and quantified via computerized morphometric analysis. NT-expressing cell density increased along the human small intestine. NT-expressing cell density was significantly higher from 200 cm distal to the duodenojejunal flexure onward, as well as in subjects with T2D when compared to those without T2D. NT-expressing cell density increases along the human small gut, and a higher density is found in individuals with T2D. This finding suggests a potential role for NT in the mechanisms of disease and T2D improvement observed after bariatric surgery.

Towards precision medicine in bariatric surgery prescription

Obesity is a complex, multifactorial and chronic disease. Bariatric surgery is a safe and effective treatment intervention for obesity and obesity-related diseases. However, weight loss after surgery can be highly heterogeneous and is not entirely predictable, particularly in the long-term after intervention. In this review, we present and discuss the available data on patient-related and procedure-related factors that were previously appointed as putative predictors of bariatric surgery outcomes. In addition, we present a critical appraisal of the available evidence on which factors could be taken into account when recommending and deciding which bariatric procedure to perform. Several patient-related features were identified as having a potential impact on weight loss after bariatric surgery, including age, gender, anthropometrics, obesity co-morbidities, eating behavior, genetic background, circulating biomarkers (microRNAs, metabolites and hormones), psychological and socioeconomic factors. However, none of these factors are sufficiently robust to be used as predictive factors. Overall, there is no doubt that before we long for precision medicine, there is the unmet need for a better understanding of the socio-biological drivers of weight gain, weight loss failure and weight-regain after bariatric interventions. Machine learning models targeting preoperative factors and effectiveness measurements of specific bariatric surgery interventions, would enable a more precise identification of the causal links between determinants of weight gain and weight loss. Artificial intelligence algorithms to be used in clinical practice to predict the response to bariatric surgery interventions could then be created, which would ultimately allow to move forward into precision medicine in bariatric surgery prescription.

Can Metabolite and Hormone Profiles Provide a Rationale for Choosing Between Bariatric Procedures?

PURPOSE

There are no formal guidelines for choosing among different bariatric surgery procedures for obesity treatment. So, our aim was to evaluate whether post-absorptive metabolite and hormone profiles could aid the surgeon decision when considering bariatric surgery interventions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Subjects (N=38) previously submitted to biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch (BPD-DS, n=9), single anastomosis duodenal-ileum bypass with sleeve gastrectomy (SADI-S, n= 9), long biliopancreatic limb Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB-M, n= 11), and classic RYGB (RYGB-C, n= 9) underwent a mixed meal test to evaluate post-absorptive glucose, total amino acid (AA), insulin, and GLP-1 profiles.

RESULTS

Glucose, AA, insulin, and GLP-1 excursions were lower after BPD-DS when compared to other surgeries. SADI-S resulted in lower glucose but similar AA and insulin excursions when compared to RYGB-M. The highest GLP-1 excursion was observed after RYGB-M. There were no significant differences in glucose or AA post-prandial excursions between RYGB procedures, yet insulin excursion was higher after RYGB-C when compared to RYGB-M.

CONCLUSION

Post-prandial metabolite excursions diverge across bariatric procedures being lowest after BPD-DS, intermediate after SADI-S, and highest after RYGB, in parallel with the anti-diabetic efficacy and malabsorption risk reported for each type of intervention. SADI-S and RYGB-M seem to elicit similar post-prandial hormonal profiles, with potentially lower risk of protein malnutrition when compared to BPD-DS. Post-absorptive metabolite and hormone profiles could provide a rationale as decision-aid when choosing among bariatric surgery interventions, as long as these findings are validated in future trials.