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Huang X, Zhao JV. The Associations of Genetically Predicted Plasma Alanine with Coronary Artery Disease and its Risk Factors: A Mendelian Randomization Study. Am J Clin Nutr 2023; 118:1020-1028. [PMID: 37640107 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alanine is an amino acid commonly used as a nutritional supplement and plays a key role in the glucose-alanine cycle. Plasma alanine has been associated in observational studies with a higher risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) and unhealthier lipid profiles. However, evidence from large randomized controlled trials is lacking. OBJECTIVES Using Mendelian randomization (MR), we assessed the unconfounded associations of plasma alanine with CAD and CAD risk factors. METHODS We applied single nucleotide polymorphisms that were strongly (P < 5 ×10-8) associated with plasma alanine as genetic instruments to large genome-wide association studies of CAD (63,108 cases; 296,901 controls), diabetes (90,612 cases; 583,493 controls), glucose (515,538 participants), lipids (low-density lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein [HDL] cholesterol, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B) (>1.1 million participants), blood pressure (BP) (757,601 participants), and body mass index (682,137 participants). Given the potential sex disparity, we also conducted sex-specific analyses. MR estimates per standard deviation increase in alanine concentrations were obtained using inverse variance weighting followed by sensitivity analyses using weighted median, MR-Egger, MR-Pleiotropy RESidual Sum and Outlier, and MR-Robust Adjusted Profile Score. RESULTS Genetically predicted plasma alanine was not associated with CAD but with a higher risk of diabetes (odds ratio [OR]: 1.35; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.06, 1.72), higher glucose (β: 0.11; 95% CI: 0.02, 0.19), LDL cholesterol (β: 0.08; 95% CI: 0.04, 0.12), triglycerides (β: 0.25; 95% CI: 0.13, 0.38), total cholesterol (β: 0.14; 95% CI: 0.08, 0.20), apolipoprotein B (β: 0.12; 95% CI: 0.03, 0.21), and BP (β: 1.17; 95% CI: 0.31, 2.04 for systolic BP: β: 0.97; 95% CI: 0.49, 1.45 for diastolic BP) overall. The positive associations of serum alanine with LDL cholesterol and triglycerides were more notable in women than in men. CONCLUSIONS Alanine or factors affecting alanine may have causal effects on diabetes, blood glucose, lipid profiles, and BP but not on CAD. Further studies are needed to clarify possible mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Huang
- School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jie V Zhao
- School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
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Wood AC, Graca G, Gadgil M, Senn MK, Allison MA, Tzoulaki I, Greenland P, Ebbels T, Elliott P, Goodarzi MO, Tracy R, Rotter JI, Herrington D. Untargeted metabolomic analysis investigating links between unprocessed red meat intake and markers of inflammation. Am J Clin Nutr 2023; 118:989-999. [PMID: 37660929 PMCID: PMC10797554 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Whether red meat consumption is associated with higher inflammation or confounded by increased adiposity remains unclear. Plasma metabolites capture the effects of diet after food is processed, digested, and absorbed, and correlate with markers of inflammation, so they can help clarify diet-health relationships. OBJECTIVE To identify whether any metabolites associated with red meat intake are also associated with inflammation. METHODS A cross-sectional analysis of observational data from older adults (52.84% women, mean age 63 ± 0.3 y) participating in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Dietary intake was assessed by food-frequency questionnaire, alongside C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-2, interleukin-6, fibrinogen, homocysteine, and tumor necrosis factor alpha, and untargeted proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) metabolomic features. Associations between these variables were examined using linear regression models, adjusted for demographic factors, lifestyle behaviors, and body mass index (BMI). RESULTS In analyses that adjust for BMI, neither processed nor unprocessed forms of red meat were associated with any markers of inflammation (all P > 0.01). However, when adjusting for BMI, unprocessed red meat was inversely associated with spectral features representing the metabolite glutamine (sentinel hit: β = -0.09 ± 0.02, P = 2.0 × 10-5), an amino acid which was also inversely associated with CRP level (β = -0.11 ± 0.01, P = 3.3 × 10-10). CONCLUSIONS Our analyses were unable to support a relationship between either processed or unprocessed red meat and inflammation, over and above any confounding by BMI. Glutamine, a plasma correlate of lower unprocessed red meat intake, was associated with lower CRP levels. The differences in diet-inflammation associations, compared with diet metabolite-inflammation associations, warrant further investigation to understand the extent that these arise from the following: 1) a reduction in measurement error with metabolite measures; 2) the extent that which factors other than unprocessed red meat intake contribute to glutamine levels; and 3) the ability of plasma metabolites to capture individual differences in how food intake is metabolized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis C Wood
- United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, TX, United States.
| | - Goncalo Graca
- Section of Bioinformatics, Division of Systems Medicine, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Meghana Gadgil
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Mackenzie K Senn
- United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, TX, United States
| | - Matthew A Allison
- Department of Family Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Ioanna Tzoulaki
- Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, University of Ioannina Medical School, Ioannina, Greece; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Imperial College London School of Public Health, London, United Kingdom
| | - Philip Greenland
- Departments of Preventive Medicine and Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Timothy Ebbels
- Biomolecular Medicine, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Elliott
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Imperial College London School of Public Health, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mark O Goodarzi
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Russell Tracy
- Laboratory for Clinical Biochemistry Research, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, United States
| | - Jerome I Rotter
- The Institute for Translational Genomics and Population Sciences, Department of Pediatrics, The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, United States
| | - David Herrington
- Section on Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine; Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC, United States
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Ahmadi Hekmatikar A, Nelson A, Petersen A. Highlighting the idea of exerkines in the management of cancer patients with cachexia: novel insights and a critical review. BMC Cancer 2023; 23:889. [PMID: 37730552 PMCID: PMC10512651 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-023-11391-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Exerkines are all peptides, metabolites, and nucleic acids released into the bloodstream during and after physical exercise. Exerkines liberated from skeletal muscle (myokines), the heart (cardiokines), liver (hepatokines), white adipose tissue (adipokines), brown adipose tissue (batokines), and neurons (neurokines) may benefit health and wellbeing. Cancer-related cachexia is a highly prevalent disorder characterized by weight loss with specific skeletal muscle and adipose tissue loss. Many studies have sought to provide exercise strategies for managing cachexia, focusing on musculoskeletal tissue changes. Therefore, understanding the responses of musculoskeletal and other tissue exerkines to acute and chronic exercise may provide novel insight and recommendations for physical training to counteract cancer-related cachexia. METHODS For the purpose of conducting this study review, we made efforts to gather relevant studies and thoroughly discuss them to create a comprehensive overview. To achieve this, we conducted searches using appropriate keywords in various databases. Studies that were deemed irrelevant to the current research, not available in English, or lacking full-text access were excluded. Nevertheless, it is important to acknowledge the limited amount of research conducted in this specific field. RESULTS In order to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the findings, we prioritized human studies in order to obtain results that closely align with the scope of the present study. However, in instances where human studies were limited or additional analysis was required to draw more robust conclusions, we also incorporated animal studies. Finally, 295 studies, discussed in this review. CONCLUSION Our understanding of the underlying physiological mechanisms related to the significance of investigating exerkines in cancer cachexia is currently quite basic. Nonetheless, this demonstrated that resistance and aerobic exercise can contribute to the reduction and control of the disease in individuals with cancer cachexia, as well as in survivors, by inducing changes in exerkines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amirhossein Ahmadi Hekmatikar
- Department of Physical Education & Sport Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, 14117-13116, Iran
| | - André Nelson
- Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Aaron Petersen
- Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
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Pires RS, Braga PGS, Santos JMB, Amaral JB, Amirato GR, Trettel CS, Dos Santos CAF, Vaisberg M, Nali LHS, Vieira RP, Maranhão RC, Pithon-Curi TC, Barros MP, Bachi ALL. l-Glutamine supplementation enhances glutathione peroxidase and paraoxonase-1 activities in HDL of exercising older individuals. Exp Gerontol 2021; 156:111584. [PMID: 34653558 DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2021.111584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Oxidative stress is an important factor in the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) harbors paraoxonase-1 (PON-1) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), key enzymes in the protection against the harmful effects of oxidative stress. Although exercise training can increase both HDL-c content and its antioxidant action, and glutamine (Gln) intake also promotes GPx-based defenses, the association between exercise training and Gln in the regulation of PON-1 activity was not explored. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of Gln supplementation on the redox balance and on the total HDL antioxidant capacity by evaluation of the activity of PON-1 and GPx enzymes in physically exercised elderly individuals compared to non-exercised ones. METHODS Fifty-one practitioners of a combined exercise training program (CET, age: 71.9 ± 5.7 years) and 32 non-practitioners (NP, age: 73 ± 6.3 years) participated in the study. CET and NP groups were separated into 2 subgroups according to the supplementation: Gln, 0.3 g/kg/day + 10 g maltodextrin (CET-Gln, n = 26; and NP-Gln, n = 16) or placebo, 10 g maltodextrin (CET-PL, n = 25; and NP-PL, n = 16). Blood samples were drawn at baseline and after 30 days after commencement of the supplementation for biochemical and enzyme activity analyses. RESULTS Increased HDL-c, total peroxidase (PRx), and GPx activities were found in both CET-Gln and NP-Gln after the supplementation period, compared to baseline, in opposition to CET-PL and NP-PL groups. PON-1 activity increased only in CET-Gln. In both CET-Gln and NP-Gln groups, there was a reduction of the total peroxides/PRx, iron/PRx, and total peroxides/GPX ratios after supplementation. In CET-Gln, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS)/PRx and TBARS/GPx ratios were also lower after supplementation. CET-Gln and CET-PL subgroups had lower glycemia than NP-Gln and NP-PL, either at baseline or after the supplementation periods. The other parameters were unchanged after supplementation [total cholesterol, LDL-c, triglycerides, non-HDL cholesterol, total peroxides, TBARS, iron serum, Trolox-equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), and uric acid]. CONCLUSIONS Gln supplementation can increase glutathione peroxidase activity regardless the individuals were physically active or sedentary, but the PON-1 activity only increased in physically active individuals. These results show the potential of Gln supplementation in the maintenance of the vascular redox balance, with potential implications for atherogenesis protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renier S Pires
- Post-Graduation Program in Health Sciences, Santo Amaro University (UNISA), São Paulo, SP 04829-300, Brazil
| | - Pedro G S Braga
- Lipid Metabolism Laboratory, Heart Institute (InCor), Medical School Hospital, University of São Paulo, SP 05403-900, Brazil
| | - Juliana M B Santos
- Post-Graduation Program in Science of Human and Rehabilitation, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), Santos, SP 11015-020, Brazil
| | - Jônatas B Amaral
- ENT Lab, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP 04025-002, Brazil
| | - Gislene R Amirato
- ENT Lab, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP 04025-002, Brazil
| | - Caio S Trettel
- Interdisciplinary Program in Health Sciences, Institute of Physical Activity Sciences and Sports (ICAFE), Cruzeiro do Sul University, São Paulo, SP 01506-000, Brazil
| | - Carlos A F Dos Santos
- Department of Medicine (Geriatrics and Gerontology), Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP 04020-050, Brazil
| | - Mauro Vaisberg
- ENT Lab, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP 04025-002, Brazil
| | - Luis H S Nali
- Post-Graduation Program in Health Sciences, Santo Amaro University (UNISA), São Paulo, SP 04829-300, Brazil
| | - Rodolfo P Vieira
- Post-Graduation Program in Science of Human and Rehabilitation, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), Santos, SP 11015-020, Brazil; Post-graduation Program in Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering, Universidade Brasil, São Paulo, SP 08230-030, Brazil; Brazilian Institute of Teaching and Research in Pulmonary and Exercise Immunology (IBEPIPE), São Jose dos Campos, SP 12245-520, Brazil
| | - Raul C Maranhão
- Lipid Metabolism Laboratory, Heart Institute (InCor), Medical School Hospital, University of São Paulo, SP 05403-900, Brazil
| | - Tania C Pithon-Curi
- Interdisciplinary Program in Health Sciences, Institute of Physical Activity Sciences and Sports (ICAFE), Cruzeiro do Sul University, São Paulo, SP 01506-000, Brazil
| | - Marcelo P Barros
- Interdisciplinary Program in Health Sciences, Institute of Physical Activity Sciences and Sports (ICAFE), Cruzeiro do Sul University, São Paulo, SP 01506-000, Brazil
| | - André L L Bachi
- Post-Graduation Program in Health Sciences, Santo Amaro University (UNISA), São Paulo, SP 04829-300, Brazil; ENT Lab, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP 04025-002, Brazil; Brazilian Institute of Teaching and Research in Pulmonary and Exercise Immunology (IBEPIPE), São Jose dos Campos, SP 12245-520, Brazil.
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Gu Y, Zhang Y, Li M, Huang Z, Jiang J, Chen Y, Chen J, Jia Y, Zhang L, Zhou F. Ferulic Acid Ameliorates Atherosclerotic Injury by Modulating Gut Microbiota and Lipid Metabolism. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:621339. [PMID: 33841148 PMCID: PMC8026864 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.621339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Atherosclerosis is a leading cause of death worldwide. Recent studies have emphasized the significance of gut microbiota and lipid metabolism in the development of atherosclerosis. Herein, the effects and molecular mechanisms involving ferulic acid (FA) was examined in atherosclerosis using the ApoE-knockout (ApoE-∕-, c57BL/6 background) mouse model. Eighteen male ApoE-/- mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks and then randomly divided into three groups: the model group, the FA (40 mg/kg/day) group and simvastatin (5 mg/kg/day) group. As results, FA could significantly alleviate atherosclerosis and regulate lipid levels in mice. Liver injury and hepatocyte steatosis induced by HFD were also mitigated by FA. FA improved lipid metabolism involving up-regulation of AMPKα phosphorylation and down-regulation of SREBP1 and ACC1 expression. Furthermore, FA induced marked structural changes in the gut microbiota and fecal metabolites and specifically reduced the relative abundance of Fimicutes, Erysipelotrichaceae and Ileibacterium, which were positively correlated with serum lipid levels in atherosclerosis mice. In conclusion, we demonstrate that FA could significantly ameliorate atherosclerotic injury, which may be partly by modulating gut microbiota and lipid metabolism via the AMPKα/SREBP1/ACC1 pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuyan Gu
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yaxin Zhang
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Mei Li
- VIP Healthcare Center, Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhiyong Huang
- Department of Otolaryngology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jing Jiang
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yihao Chen
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Junqi Chen
- Department of Otolaryngology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuhua Jia
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lihua Zhang
- Department of Gynaecology, Integrated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Fenghua Zhou
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
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Coqueiro AY, Raizel R, Bonvini A, Rogero MM, Tirapegui J. Effects of glutamine and alanine supplementation on muscle fatigue parameters of rats submitted to resistance training. Nutrition 2019; 65:131-137. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nut.2018.09.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2018] [Accepted: 09/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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