Sodium Orthovanadate Changes Fatty Acid Composition and Increased Expression of Stearoyl-Coenzyme A Desaturase in THP-1 Macrophages

Multimodal study of CHI3L1 inhibition and its effect on angiogenesis, migration, immune response and refractive index of cellular structures in glioblastoma

Glioblastoma is one of the most aggressive tumours with a poor response to treatment and a poor prognosis for patients. One of the proteins expressed in glioblastoma tissue is CHI3L1 (YKL-40), which is upregulated and known for its angiogenesis-supporting and pro-tumour immunomodulatory effects in a variety of cancers. In this paper we present the anti-angiogenic, anti-migratory and immunomodulatory effects of the compound G721-0282, an inhibitor of CHI3L1. The inhibitor-induced changes were investigated using conventional techniques as well as the novel label-free digital holographic tomography (DHT), a quantitative phase imaging technique that allows the reconstruction of the refractive index (RI), which is used as an image contrast for 3D visualisation of living cells. DHT allowed digital staining of individual cells and intercellular structures based only on their specific RI. Quantitative spatially resolved analysis of the RI data shows that the concentration of G721-0282 leads to significant changes in the density of cells and their intracellular structures (in particular the cytoplasm and nucleus), in the volume of lipid droplets and in protein concentrations. Studies in the U-87 MG glioblastoma cell line, THP-1 monocytes differentiated into macrophages, human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1) and in the spheroid model of glioblastoma composed of U-87 MG, HMEC-1 and macrophages suggest that inhibition of CHI3L1 may have potential in the antitumour treatment of glioblastoma. In this paper, we also propose a spheroid model for in vitro studies that mimics this type of tumour.

Rumen microbial-driven metabolite from grazing lambs potentially regulates body fatty acid metabolism by lipid-related genes in liver

BACKGROUND

Lipid metabolism differs significantly between grazing and stall-feeding lambs, affecting the quality of livestock products. As two critical organs of lipid metabolism, the differences between feeding patterns on rumen and liver metabolism remain unclear. In this study, 16S rRNA, metagenomics, transcriptomics, and untargeted metabolomics were utilized to investigate the key rumen microorganisms and metabolites, as well as liver genes and metabolites associated with fatty acid metabolism under indoor feeding (F) and grazing (G).

RESULTS

Compared with grazing, indoor feeding increased ruminal propionate content. Using metagenome sequencing in combination with 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, the results showed that the abundance of propionate-producing Succiniclasticum and hydrogenating bacteria Tenericutes was enriched in the F group. For rumen metabolism, grazing caused up-regulation of EPA, DHA and oleic acid and down-regulation of decanoic acid, as well as, screening for 2-ketobutyric acid as a vital differential metabolite, which was enriched in the propionate metabolism pathway. In the liver, indoor feeding increased 3-hydroxypropanoate and citric acid content, causing changes in propionate metabolism and citrate cycle, while decreasing the ETA content. Then, the liver transcriptome revealed that 11 lipid-related genes were differentially expressed in the two feeding patterns. Correlation analysis showed that the expression of CYP4A6, FADS1, FADS2, ALDH6A1 and CYP2C23 was significantly associated with the propionate metabolism process, suggesting that propionate metabolism may be an important factor mediating the hepatic lipid metabolism. Besides, the unsaturated fatty acids in muscle, rumen and liver also had a close correlation.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, our data demonstrated that rumen microbial-driven metabolite from grazing lambs potentially regulates multiple hepatic lipid-related genes, ultimately affecting body fatty acid metabolism.

Effects of two triterpenoids from Nigella sativa seeds on insulin resistance of 3T3-L1 adipocytes

Insulin resistance (IR) is a physiological abnormality that occurs when insulin fails to activate the signal transduction pathway in target organs. It was found that supplementation of Nigella sativa seeds with oral antidiabetic medicines helps improve blood glucose control by enhanced β cells activity and alleviation of IR. However, the activities and related mechanisms of phytochemicals from N. sativa seeds have not been thoroughly explored. In this study, the effects of two triterpenoids, 3-O-[β-D-xylopyranose-(1→3)-α-L-rhamnose-(1→2)-α-L-arabinose]-28-O-[α-L-rhamnose-(1→4)-β-D-glucopyranose-L-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranose]-hederagenin (Hxrarg) and 3-O-[β-D-xylopyranose-(1→3)-α-L-rhamnose-(1→2)-α-L-arabinose]-hederagenin (Hxra), on IR were studied by 3T3-L1 adipocytes model. The results demonstrated that Hxrarg and Hxra inhibited maturation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, dramatically stimulated glucose uptake of IR-3T3-L1 adipocytes, promoted transcription of IRS, AKT, PI-3K, and GLUT4 mRNA. Western Blot results suggested that Hxrarg and Hxra were able to markedly up-regulate expression of p-IRS, p-AKT, PI-3K, and GLUT4 proteins. These findings could provide a basic foundation for the continued development and application of N. sativa in medicine and functional foods.

Adiponectin, May Be a Potential Protective Factor for Obesity-Related Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease in elderly individuals and seriously affects quality of life. OA has often been thought to be caused by body weight load, but studies have increasingly shown that OA is an inflammation-mediated metabolic disease. The current existing evidence suggests that OA is associated with obesity-related chronic inflammation as well as abnormal lipid metabolism in obesity, such as fatty acids (FA) and triglycerides. Adiponectin, a cytokine secreted by adipose tissue, can affect the progression of OA by regulating obesity-related inflammatory factors. However, the specific molecular mechanism has not been fully elucidated. According to previous research, adiponectin can promote the metabolism of FA and triglycerides, which indicates that it is a potential protective factor for OA through many mechanisms. This article aims to review the mechanisms of chronic inflammation, FA and triglycerides in OA, as well as the potential mechanisms of adiponectin in regulating chronic inflammation and promoting FA and triglyceride metabolism. Therefore, adiponectin may have a protective effect on obesity-related OA, which could provide new insight into adiponectin and the related mechanisms in OA.