Alcohol and Liver Clock Disruption Increase Small Droplet Macrosteatosis, Alter Lipid Metabolism and Clock Gene mRNA Rhythms, and Remodel the Triglyceride Lipidome in Mouse Liver

Exploring the microscopic changes of lipid droplets and mitochondria in alcoholic liver disease via fluorescent probes with high polarity specificity

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) has received extensive attention because of the increasing alcohol consumption globally as well as its high morbidity. It is reported that absorbed alcohol can cause lipid metabolism disorder and mitochondria dysfunction, so here in this work, we planned to study the microscopic changes of the two organelles, lipid droplets (LDs) and mitochondria in hepatocyte, under the stimulation of alcohol, hoping to present some meaningful information for the theranostics of ALD by the technique of fluorescence imaging. Guided by theoretical calculation, two fluorescent probes, named CBu and CBuT, were rationally designed. Although constructed by the same chromophore scaffold, they stained different organelles efficiently and emitted distinctively. CBu with high lipophilicity, ascribed to the two butyl groups, can selectively localize in LDs with green fluorescence, while CBuT bearing a triphenylphosphine unit can specifically target mitochondria due to electrostatic interactions with near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence. Both probes displayed remarkable selectivity and sensitivity to polarity, free from the environmental interferences including viscosity, pH and other bio-species. With these two probes, the accumulation of LDs and polarity decrease in mitochondria were clearly monitored at the green and red channels, respectively, in the ALD cell model. CBuT was further applied to image the mice with ALD in vivo. In short, we have confirmed the valuable organelles, LDs and mitochondria, for ALD study and provided two potent molecular tools to visualize their changes through fluorescence imaging, which would be favorable for the further development of theranostics for ALD.

Peripheral blood transcriptomic profiling indicates molecular mechanisms commonly regulated by binge-drinking and placebo-effects

Molecular changes associated with alcohol consumption arise from complex interactions between pharmacological effects of alcohol, psychological/placebo context surrounding drinking, and other environmental and biological factors. The goal of this study was to tease apart molecular mechanisms regulated by pharmacological effects of alcohol - particularly at binge-drinking, from underlying placebo effects. Transcriptome-wide RNA-seq analyses were performed on peripheral blood samples collected from healthy heavy social drinkers (N=16) enrolled in a 12-day randomized, double-blind, cross-over human laboratory trial testing three alcohol doses: Placebo, moderate (0.05g/kg (men), 0.04g/kg (women)), and binge (1g/kg (men), 0.9g/kg (women)), administered in three 4-day experiments, separated by minimum of 7-day washout periods. Effects of beverage doses on the normalized gene expression counts were analyzed within each experiment compared to its own baseline using paired-t-tests. Differential expression of genes (DEGs) across experimental sequences in which each beverage dose was administered, as well as responsiveness to regular alcohol compared to placebo (i.e., pharmacological effects), were analyzed using generalized linear mixed-effects models. The 10% False discovery rate-adjusted DEGs varied across experimental sequences in response to all three beverage doses. We identified and validated 22 protein coding DEGs potentially responsive to pharmacological effects of binge and medium doses, of which 11 were selectively responsive to binge dose. Binge-dose significantly impacted the Cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction pathway (KEGG: hsa04060) across all experimental-sequences that it was administered in, and during dose-extending placebo. Medium dose and placebo impacted pathways hsa05322, hsa04613, and hsa05034, in the first two and last experimental sequences, respectively. In summary, our findings add novel, and confirm previously reported data supporting dose-dependent effects of alcohol on molecular mechanisms and suggest that the placebo effects may induce molecular responses within the same pathways regulated by alcohol. Innovative study designs are required to validate molecular correlates of placebo effects underlying drinking.

Circadian rhythms and the liver

This narrative review briefly describes the mammalian circadian timing system, the specific features of the liver clock, also by comparison with other peripheral clocks, the role of the liver clock in the preparation of food intake, and its relationship with energy metabolism. It then goes on to provide a chronobiological perspective of the pathophysiology and management of several types of liver disease, with a particular focus on metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), decompensated cirrhosis and liver transplantation. Finally, it provides some insight into the potential contribution of circadian principles and circadian hygiene practices in preventing MAFLD, improving the prognosis of advanced liver disease and modulating liver transplantation outcomes.

Unraveling propylene glycol-induced lipolysis of the biosynthesis pathway in ultra-high temperature milk using high resolution mass spectrometry untargeted lipidomics and proteomics

In July 2022, the food safety accident that excessive propylene glycol was detected in milk processing factory raised widespread concerns about quality and nutrition of milk with illegal additive. To the best of our knowledge, the influences of propylene glycol to lipids in milk had not been systematically explored. Therefore, spatiotemporal distributions of lipids related to propylene glycol reaction and changes of sensory quality were investigated by food exogenous. Briefly, 10 subclasses (Cer, DG, HexCer, LPC, LPE, PC, PE, PI, SPH and TG) included 147 lipids and 38 pivotal enzymes were annotated. Propylene glycol altered lysophospholipidase and phospholipase A₂ through altering structural order in lipids domains surrounding proteins to inhibit glycerophospholipid metabolism and initiated obvious changes in PC (10.45-27.91 mg kg^-1) and PE (12.92-49.02 mg kg^-1). This study offered insights into influences of propylene glycol doses and storage time on milk metabolism at molecular level to assess the quality of milk.

Circadian clock disruption aggravates alcohol liver disease in an acute mouse model

Circadian rhythms are important for organisms to adapt to the environment and maintain homeostasis. Disruptions of circadian rhythms contribute to the occurrence, progression, and exacerbation of diseases, such as cancer, psychiatric disorders, and metabolic disorders. Alcohol-induced liver disease (ALD) is one of the most prevalent liver diseases. Disruptions of the circadian clock enhance the ALD symptoms using chronic mice models or genetic manipulated mice. However, chronic models are time consuming and clock gene deletions interfere with metabolisms. Here, we report that constant light (LL) condition significantly disrupted the circadian clock in an acute ALD model, resulting in aggravated ALD phenotypes in wild type mice. Comparative transcriptome analysis revealed that the alcohol feeding affected the circadian pathway, as well as metabolic pathways. The acute alcohol feeding plus the LL condition further interfered with metabolic pathways and dysregulated canonical circadian gene expressions. These findings support the idea that disrupting the circadian clock could provide an improved ALD mouse model for further applications, such as facilitating identification of potential therapeutic targets for the prevention and treatment of ALD.Abbreviations: ALD, alcohol-induced liver disease; LD, 12 h light _ 12 h dark; LL, constant light; HF, high-fat liquid control diet; ETH, ethanol-containing diet; NIAAA, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; TTFLs, transcription-translation feedback loops; FDA, US Foods and Drug Administration; NAFLD, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; RER, respiratory exchange rate; DEGs, differentially expressed genes; H&E, haematoxylin and eosin; ALT, alanine transaminase; AST, aspartate transaminase; TG, triglycerides.

Transcriptional Feedback Loops in the Caprine Circadian Clock System

The circadian clock system is based on interlocked positive and negative transcriptional and translational feedback loops of core clock genes and their encoded proteins. The mammalian circadian clock system has been extensively investigated using mouse models, but has been poorly investigated in diurnal ruminants. In this study, goat embryonic fibroblasts (GEFs) were isolated and used as a cell model to elucidate the caprine circadian clock system. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis showed that several clock genes and clock-controlled genes were rhythmically expressed in GEFs over a 24 h period after dexamethasone stimulation. Immunofluorescence revealed that gBMAL1 and gNR1D1 proteins were expressed in GEFs, and western blotting analysis further verified that the proteins were expressed with circadian rhythmic changes. Diurnal changes in clock and clock-controlled gene expression at the mRNA and protein levels were also observed in goat liver and kidney tissues at two representative time points in vivo. Amino acid sequences and tertiary structures of goat BMAL1 and CLOCK proteins were found to be highly homologous to those in mice and humans. In addition, a set of goat representative clock gene orthologs and the promoter regions of two clock genes of goats and mice were cloned. Dual-luciferase reporter assays showed that gRORα could activate the promoter activity of the goat BMAL1, while gNR1D1 repressed it. The elevated pGL4.10-gNR1D1-Promoter-driven luciferase activity induced by mBMAL1/mCLOCK was much higher than that induced by gBMAL1/gCLOCK, and the addition of gCRY2 or mPER2 repressed it. Real-time bioluminescence assays revealed that the transcriptional activity of BMAL1 and NR1D1 in goats and mice exhibited rhythmic changes over a period of approximately 24 h in NIH3T3 cells or GEFs. Notably, the amplitudes of gBMAL1 and gNR1D1 promoter-driven luciferase oscillations in NIH3T3 cells were higher than those in GEFs, while mBMAL1 and mNR1D1 promoter-driven luciferase oscillations in NIH3T3 cells had the highest amplitude. In sum, transcriptional and translational loops of the mammalian circadian clock system were found to be broadly conserved in goats and not as robust as those found in mice, at least in the current experimental models. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the specific molecular mechanisms involved.

Liver circadian clock disruption alters perivascular adipose tissue gene expression and aortic function in mice

The liver plays a central role that influences cardiovascular disease outcomes through regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism. It is recognized that the local liver molecular clock regulates some liver-derived metabolites. However, it is unknown whether the liver clock may impact cardiovascular function. Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) is a specialized type of adipose tissue surrounding blood vessels. Importantly, cross talk between the endothelium and PVAT via vasoactive factors is critical for vascular function. Therefore, we designed studies to test the hypothesis that cardiovascular function, including PVAT function, is impaired in mice with liver-specific circadian clock disruption. Bmal1 is a core circadian clock gene, thus studies were undertaken in male hepatocyte-specific Bmal1 knockout (HBK) mice and littermate controls (i.e., flox mice). HBK mice showed significantly elevated plasma levels of β-hydroxybutyrate, nonesterified fatty acids/free fatty acids, triglycerides, and insulin-like growth factor 1 compared with flox mice. Thoracic aorta PVAT in HBK mice had increased mRNA expression of several key regulatory and metabolic genes, Ppargc1a, Pparg, Adipoq, Lpl, and Ucp1, suggesting altered PVAT energy metabolism and thermogenesis. Sensitivity to acetylcholine-induced vasorelaxation was significantly decreased in the aortae of HBK mice with PVAT attached compared with aortae of HBK mice with PVAT removed, however, aortic vasorelaxation in flox mice showed no differences with or without attached PVAT. HBK mice had a significantly lower systolic blood pressure during the inactive period of the day. These new findings establish a novel role of the liver circadian clock in regulating PVAT metabolic gene expression and PVAT-mediated aortic vascular function.