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Šošić-Jurjević B, Lütjohann D, Trifunović S, Pavlović S, Borković Mitić S, Jovanović L, Ristić N, Marina L, Ajdžanović V, Filipović B. Differences in Cholesterol Metabolism, Hepato-Intestinal Aging, and Hepatic Endocrine Milieu in Rats as Affected by the Sex and Age. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12624. [PMID: 37628805 PMCID: PMC10454938 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241612624] [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: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Age and sex influence serum cholesterol levels, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. To investigate further, we measured cholesterol, precursors (surrogate synthesis markers), degradation products (oxysterols and bile acid precursors) in serum, the liver, jejunum, and ileum, as well as serum plant sterols (intestinal absorption markers) in male and female Wistar rats (4 and 24 months old). The analysis of histomorphometric and oxidative stress parameters (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione-related enzyme activities, lipid peroxide, and protein carbonyl concentrations) in the liver and jejunum offered further insights into the age- and sex-related differences. The hepatic gene expression analysis included AR, ERα, and sex-specific growth hormone-regulated (Cyp2c11 and Cyp2c12) and thyroid-responsive (Dio1, Tbg, and Spot 14) genes by qPCR. We observed age-related changes in both sexes, with greater prominence in females. Aged females had significantly higher serum cholesterol (p < 0.05), jejunum cholesterol (p < 0.05), and serum plant sterols (p < 0.05). They exhibited poorer hepato-intestinal health compared with males, which was characterized by mild liver dysfunction (hydropic degeneration, increased serum ALT, p < 0.05, and decreased activity of some antioxidant defense enzymes, p < 0.05), mononuclear inflammation in the jejunal lamina propria, and age-related decreases in jejunal catalase and glutathione peroxidase activity (p < 0.05). Aged females showed increased levels of 27-hydroxycholesterol (p < 0.05) and upregulated ERα gene expression (p < 0.05) in the liver. Our study suggests that the more significant age-related increase in serum cholesterol in females is associated with poorer hepato-intestinal health and increased jejunal cholesterol absorption. The local increase in 27-hydroxycholesterol during aging might reduce the hepatoprotective effects of endogenous estrogen in the female liver.
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Affiliation(s)
- Branka Šošić-Jurjević
- Department of Cytology, Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”—National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar Despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia; (S.T.); (N.R.); (V.A.); (B.F.)
| | - Dieter Lütjohann
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany;
| | - Svetlana Trifunović
- Department of Cytology, Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”—National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar Despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia; (S.T.); (N.R.); (V.A.); (B.F.)
| | - Slađan Pavlović
- Department of Physiology, Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”—National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar Despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia; (S.P.); (S.B.M.)
| | - Slavica Borković Mitić
- Department of Physiology, Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”—National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar Despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia; (S.P.); (S.B.M.)
| | - Ljubiša Jovanović
- Department of Pathology and Medical Cytology, University Clinical Center of Serbia, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Dr. Koste Todorovića 26, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia;
| | - Nataša Ristić
- Department of Cytology, Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”—National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar Despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia; (S.T.); (N.R.); (V.A.); (B.F.)
| | - Ljiljana Marina
- National Centre for Infertility and Endocrinology of Gender, Clinic for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Koste Todorovića 6, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia;
| | - Vladimir Ajdžanović
- Department of Cytology, Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”—National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar Despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia; (S.T.); (N.R.); (V.A.); (B.F.)
| | - Branko Filipović
- Department of Cytology, Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”—National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar Despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia; (S.T.); (N.R.); (V.A.); (B.F.)
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Du T, Xiang L, Zhang J, Yang C, Zhao W, Li J, Zhou Y, Ma L. Vitamin D improves hepatic steatosis in NAFLD via regulation of fatty acid uptake and β-oxidation. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1138078. [PMID: 37033263 PMCID: PMC10074590 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1138078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The study aimed to explore the association of serum 25(OH)D3 and hepatic steatosis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients and to determine whether the effect of vitamin D (VD) is mediated by activation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) pathway. METHODS The study contained a case-control study, in vivo and in vitro experiments. A case-control study was conducted to compare serum parameters between NAFLD patients and controls and to evaluate the association of 25(OH)D3 and NAFLD. In vivo study, male Wistar rats were randomly divided into control and model groups, fed a standard chow diet and a high-fat diet (HFD), respectively, for 7 weeks to generate an NAFLD model. Then, the rats were treated with VD and a PPARα antagonist (MK886) for 7 weeks. Tissue and serum were collected and assessed by biochemical assays, morphological analysis, histological analysis, and western blot analysis. In vitro, HepG2 cells were incubated with oleic acid (OA) to induce steatosis, which was evaluated by staining. HepG2 cells were pretreated with MK886 followed by calcitriol treatment, and differences in lipid metabolism-related proteins were detected by western blot. RESULTS NAFLD patients were characterized by impaired liver function, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance. Serum 25(OH)D3 was negatively associated with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in NAFLD. VD deficiency was a risk factor for patients with no advanced fibrosis. Adequate VD status (25(OH)D3 >20 ng/mL) had a protective effect in patients after adjustment for confounding variables. NAFLD rats showed hyperlipidemia with severe hepatic steatosis, systematic inflammation, and lower serum 25(OH)D3. VD treatment ameliorated hepatic steatosis both in NAFLD rats and OA-induced HepG2 cells. Further, MK886 inhibited the anti-steatosis effect of VD. CONCLUSION The study revealed that an adequate VD level may act as a protective factor in NAFLD and that VD may alleviate hepatic steatosis via the PPARα signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingwan Du
- Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Lian Xiang
- Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Jingjing Zhang
- Department of Clinical Nutrition, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Chunmei Yang
- Health Management Center, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Wenxin Zhao
- Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Jialu Li
- Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Yong Zhou
- Department of Medical Cell Biology and Genetics, School of Basic Medical Science, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Yong Zhou, ; Ling Ma,
| | - Ling Ma
- Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
- Environmental Health Effects and Risk Assessment Key Laboratory of Luzhou, School of Public Health, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Yong Zhou, ; Ling Ma,
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Silvagno F, Bergandi L. Editorial of Special Issue "The Role of Vitamin D in Human Health and Diseases". Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23084283. [PMID: 35457100 PMCID: PMC9033044 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23084283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Vitamin D has been described as a differentiative hormone, but this definition is reductive for a molecule targeting every tissue, produced in its active form by many kinds of cells and effective on the whole life of cells by different mechanisms, which lead to nuclear, non-genomic and mitochondrial effects [...].
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