Project description:Obesity is closely associated with increased adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs), which contribute to systemic insulin resistance and altered lipid metabolism by creating a pro-inflammatory environment. Very low-density lipoprotein receptor (VLDLR) is involved in lipoprotein uptake and storage. However, whether lipid uptake via VLDLR in macrophages affects obesity-induced inflammatory responses and insulin resistance is not well understood. Here we show that elevated VLDLR expression in ATMs promotes adipose tissue inflammation and glucose intolerance in obese mice. In macrophages, VLDL treatment upregulates intracellular levels of C16:0 ceramides in a VLDLR-dependent manner, which potentiates pro-inflammatory responses and promotes M1-like macrophage polarization. Adoptive transfer of VLDLR knockout bone marrow to wild-type mice relieves adipose tissue inflammation and improves insulin resistance in diet-induced obese mice. These findings suggest that increased VLDL-VLDLR signaling in ATMs aggravates adipose tissue inflammation and insulin resistance in obesity.
Project description:Vascular stiffening and its sequelae are major causes of morbidity and mortality in the elderly. The increasingly accepted concept of "smooth muscle cell (SMC) stiffness syndrome" along with matrix deposition has emerged in vascular biology to account for the mechanical phenotype of arterial aging, but the molecular targets remain elusive. In this study, using an unbiased proteomic analysis, we identified lysyl oxidase-like 2 (LOXL2) as a critical SMC mediator for age-associated vascular stiffening. We tested the hypothesis that loss of LOXL2 function is protective in aging-associated vascular stiffening. We determined that exogenous and endogenous nitric oxide markedly decreased LOXL2 abundance and activity in the extracellular matrix of isolated SMCs and LOXL2 endothelial cells suppress LOXL2 abundance in the aorta. In a longitudinal study, LOXL2+/- mice were protected from age-associated increase in pulse-wave velocity, an index of vascular stiffening, as occurred in littermate wild-type mice. Using isolated aortic segments, we found that LOXL2 mediates vascular stiffening in aging by promoting SMC stiffness, augmented SMC contractility, and vascular matrix deposition. Together, these studies establish LOXL2 as a nodal point for a new therapeutic approach to treat age-associated vascular stiffening. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Increased central vascular stiffness augments risk of major adverse cardiovascular events. Despite significant advances in understanding the genetic and molecular underpinnings of vascular stiffening, targeted therapy has remained elusive. Here, we show that lysyl oxidase-like 2 (LOXL2) drives vascular stiffening during aging by promoting matrix remodeling and vascular smooth muscle cell stiffening. Reduced LOXL2 expression protects mice from age-associated vascular stiffening and delays the onset of isolated systolic hypertension, a major consequence of stiffening.
Project description:Adipose tissue dysfunction plays a pivotal role in the development of insulin resistance in obese individuals. Cell culture studies and gain-of-function mouse models suggest that canonical Wnt proteins modulate adipose tissue expansion. However, no genetic evidence supports a role for endogenous Wnt proteins in adipose tissue dysfunction, and the role of noncanonical Wnt signaling remains largely unexplored. Here we provide evidence from human, mouse, and cell culture studies showing that Wnt5a-mediated, noncanonical Wnt signaling contributes to obesity-associated metabolic dysfunction by increasing adipose tissue inflammation. Wnt5a expression is significantly upregulated in human visceral fat compared with subcutaneous fat in obese individuals. In obese mice, Wnt5a ablation ameliorates insulin resistance, in parallel with reductions in adipose tissue inflammation. Conversely, Wnt5a overexpression in myeloid cells augments adipose tissue inflammation and leads to greater impairments in glucose homeostasis. Wnt5a ablation or overexpression did not affect fat mass or adipocyte size. Mechanistically, Wnt5a promotes the expression of proinflammatory cytokines by macrophages in a Jun NH2-terminal kinase-dependent manner, leading to defective insulin signaling in adipocytes. Exogenous interleukin-6 administration restores insulin resistance in obese Wnt5a-deficient mice, suggesting a central role for this cytokine in Wnt5a-mediated metabolic dysfunction. Taken together, these results demonstrate that noncanonical Wnt signaling contributes to obesity-induced insulin resistance independent of adipose tissue expansion.
Project description:Adipose tissue macrophages are a major immune cell type contributing to homeostatic maintenance and pathological adipose tissue remodeling. However, the mechanisms underlying macrophage recruitment and polarization in adipose tissue during obesity remain poorly understood. Previous studies have suggested that the gap junctional protein, connexin 43 (Cx43), plays a critical role in macrophage activation and phagocytosis. Herein, we investigated the macrophage-specific roles of Cx43 in high fat diet (HFD)-induced pathological remodeling of adipose tissue. Expression levels of Cx43 were upregulated in macrophages co-cultured with dying adipocytes in vitro, as well as in macrophages associated with dying adipocytes in the adipose tissue of HFD-fed mice. Cx43 knockdown reduced lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ATP release from macrophages and decreased inflammatory responses of macrophages co-cultured with dying adipocytes. Based on global gene expression profiling, macrophage-specific Cx43-knockout (Cx43-MKO) mice were resistant to HFD-induced inflammatory responses in adipose tissue, potentially via P2X7-mediated signaling pathways. Cx43-MKO mice exhibited reduced HFD-induced macrophage recruitment in adipose tissue. Moreover, Cx43-MKO mice showed reduced inflammasome activation in adipose tissues and improved glucose tolerance. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that Cx43 expression in macrophages facilitates inflammasome activation, which, in turn, contributes to HFD-induced metabolic dysfunction.
Project description:AimsElevation of arginase activity has been linked to vascular dysfunction in diabetes and hypertension by a mechanism involving decreased nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability due to L-arginine depletion. Excessive arginase activity also can drive L-arginine metabolism towards the production of ornithine, polyamines, and proline, promoting proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells and collagen formation, leading to perivascular fibrosis. We hypothesized that there is a specific involvement of arginase 1 expression within the vascular endothelial cells in this pathology.Methods and resultsTo test this proposition, we used models of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Studies were performed using wild type (WT), endothelial-specific arginase 1 knockout (EC-A1-/-) and littermate controls(A1con) mice fed high fat-high sucrose (HFHS) or normal diet (ND) for 6 months and isolated vessels exposed to palmitate-high glucose (PA/HG) media. Some WT mice or isolated vessels were treated with an arginase inhibitor, ABH [2-(S)-amino-6-boronohexanoic acid. In WT mice, the HFHS diet promoted increases in body weight, fasting blood glucose, and post-prandial insulin levels along with arterial stiffening and fibrosis, elevated blood pressure, decreased plasma levels of L-arginine, and elevated L-ornithine. The HFHS diet or PA/HG treatment also induced increases in vascular arginase activity along with oxidative stress, reduced vascular NO levels, and impaired endothelial-dependent vasorelaxation. All of these effects except obesity and hypercholesterolemia were prevented or significantly reduced by endothelial-specific deletion of arginase 1 or ABH treatment.ConclusionVascular dysfunctions in diet-induced obesity are prevented by deletion of arginase 1 in vascular endothelial cells or arginase inhibition. These findings indicate that upregulation of arginase 1 expression/activity in vascular endothelial cells has an integral role in diet-induced cardiovascular dysfunction and metabolic syndrome.
Project description:Obesity induces accumulation of adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs) and ATM-driven inflammatory responses that promote the development of glucose and lipid metabolism disorders. ClC-3 chloride channel/antiporter, encoded by the Clcn3, is critical for some basic cellular functions. Our previous work has shown significant alleviation of type 2 diabetes in Clcn3 knockout (Clcn3-/-) mice. In the present study we investigated the role of Clcn3 in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity and ATM inflammation. To establish the mouse obesity model, both Clcn3-/- mice and wild-type mice were fed a HFD for 4 or 16 weeks. The metabolic parameters were assessed and the abdominal total adipose tissue was scanned using computed tomography. Their epididymal fat pad tissue and adipose tissue stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells were isolated for analyses. We found that the HFD-fed Clcn3-/- mice displayed a significant decrease in obesity-induced body weight gain and abdominal visceral fat accumulation as well as an improvement of glucose and lipid metabolism as compared with HFD-fed wild-type mice. Furthermore, the Clcn3 deficiency significantly attenuated HFD-induced ATM accumulation, HFD-increased F4/80+ CD11c+ CD206- SVF cells as well as HFD-activated TLR-4/NF-?B signaling in epididymal fat tissue. In cultured human THP-1 macrophages, adenovirus-mediated transfer of Clcn3 specific shRNA inhibited, whereas adenovirus-mediated cDNA overexpression of Clcn3 enhanced lipopolysaccharide-induced activation of NF-?B and TLR-4. These results demonstrate a novel role for Clcn3 in HFD-induced obesity and ATM inflammation.
Project description:Persistent, unresolved inflammation in adipose tissue is a major contributor to obesity-associated metabolic complications. However, the molecular links between lipid-overloaded adipocytes and inflammatory immune cells in obese adipose tissues remain elusive. Here we identified adipocyte-secreted microRNA-34a (miR-34a) as a key mediator through its paracrine actions on adipose-resident macrophages. The expression of miR-34a in adipose tissues was progressively increased with the development of dietary obesity. Adipose-selective or adipocyte-specific miR-34a-KO mice were resistant to obesity-induced glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, and systemic inflammation, and this was accompanied by a significant shift in polarization of adipose-resident macrophages from proinflammatory M1 to antiinflammatory M2 phenotype. Mechanistically, mature adipocyte-secreted exosomes transported miR-34a into macrophages, thereby suppressing M2 polarization by repressing the expression of Krüppel-like factor 4 (Klf4). The suppressive effects of miR-34a on M2 polarization and its stimulation of inflammatory responses were reversed by ectopic expression of Klf4 in both bone marrow-derived macrophages and adipose depots of obese mice. Furthermore, increased miR-34a expression in visceral fat of overweight/obese subjects correlated negatively with reduced Klf4 expression, but positively with the parameters of insulin resistance and metabolic inflammation. In summary, miR-34a was a key component of adipocyte-secreted exosomal vesicles that transmitted the signal of nutrient overload to the adipose-resident macrophages for exacerbation of obesity-induced systemic inflammation and metabolic dysregulation.
Project description:Chronic adipose tissue inflammation is a hallmark of obesity-induced insulin resistance and anti-inflammatory agents can benefit patients with obesity-associated syndromes. Currently available type I interferons for therapeutic immunomodulation are accompanied by high cytotoxicity and therefore in this study we have examined anti-inflammatory effects of interferon tau (IFNT), a member of the type I interferon family with low cellular toxicity even at high doses. Using a diet-induced obesity mouse model, we observed enhanced insulin sensitivity in obese mice administered IFNT compared to control mice, which was accompanied by a significant decrease in secretion of proinflammatory cytokines and elevated anti-inflammatory macrophages (M2) in adipose tissue. Further investigations revealed that IFNT is a potent regulator of macrophage activation that favors anti-inflammatory responses as evidenced by activation of associated surface antigens, production of anti-inflammatory cytokines, and activation of selective cell signaling pathways. Thus, our study demonstrates, for the first time, that IFNT can significantly mitigate obesity-associated systemic insulin resistance and tissue inflammation by controlling macrophage polarization, and thus IFNT can be a novel bio-therapeutic agent for treating obesity-associated syndromes and type 2 diabetes.
Project description:Phloretin and its glycoside phlorizin have been reported to prevent obesity induced by high-fat diet (HFD), but the effect of 3-OH phloretin, a catechol metabolite of phloretin, has not been investigated. In this study, we investigated the anti-obesity effects of phloretin and 3-OH phloretin in HFD-fed mice. The body weight gain induced by HFD was more inhibited by administration of 3-OH phloretin than by phloretin. The increases in fat mass, white adipose tissue (WAT) weight, adipocyte size, and lipid accumulation by HFD were also remarkably inhibited by 3-OH phloretin and, to a lesser extent, by phloretin. The HFD-induced upregulation of chemokines and pro-inflammatory cytokines was suppressed by 3-OH phloretin, preventing M1 macrophages from infiltrating into WAT and thereby reducing WAT inflammation. 3-OH phloretin also showed a more potent effect than phloretin on suppressing the expression of adipogenesis regulator genes, such as PPARγ2, C/EBPα, FAS, and CD36. Fasting blood glucose and insulin levels increased by HFD were diminished by the administration of 3-OH phloretin, suggesting that 3-OH phloretin may alleviate obesity-induced insulin resistance. These findings suggested that 3-OH phloretin has the potential to be a natural bioactive compound that can be used in the prevention or treatment of obesity and insulin resistance.
Project description:Obesity is accompanied by numerous systemic and tissue-specific derangements, including systemic inflammation, insulin resistance, and mitochondrial abnormalities in skeletal muscle. Despite growing recognition that adipose tissue dysfunction plays a role in obesity-related disorders, the relationship between adipose tissue inflammation and other pathological features of obesity is not well-understood. We assessed macrophage populations and measured the expression of inflammatory cytokines in abdominal adipose tissue biopsies in 39 nondiabetic adults across a range of body mass indexes (BMI 20.5-45.8 kg/m2). Skeletal muscle biopsies were used to evaluate mitochondrial respiratory capacity, ATP production capacity, coupling, and reactive oxygen species production. Insulin sensitivity (SI) and β cell responsivity were determined from test meal postprandial glucose, insulin, c-peptide, and triglyceride kinetics. We examined the relationships between adipose tissue inflammatory markers, systemic inflammatory markers, SI, and skeletal muscle mitochondrial physiology. BMI was associated with increased adipose tissue and systemic inflammation, reduced SI, and reduced skeletal muscle mitochondrial oxidative capacity. Adipose-resident macrophage numbers were positively associated with circulating inflammatory markers, including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) and C-reactive protein (CRP). Local adipose tissue inflammation and circulating concentrations of TNFα and CRP were negatively associated with SI, and circulating concentrations of TNFα and CRP were also negatively associated with skeletal muscle oxidative capacity. These results demonstrate that obese humans exhibit increased adipose tissue inflammation concurrently with increased systemic inflammation, reduced insulin sensitivity, and reduced muscle oxidative capacity and suggest that adipose tissue and systemic inflammation may drive obesity-associated metabolic derangements.NEW AND NOTEWORTHY Adipose inflammation is proposed to be at the nexus of the systemic inflammation and metabolic derangements associated with obesity. The present study provides evidence to support adipose inflammation as a central feature of the pathophysiology of obesity. Adipose inflammation is associated with systemic and peripheral metabolic derangements, including increased systemic inflammation, reduced insulin sensitivity, and reduced skeletal muscle mitochondrial respiration.