Project description:Thiamine prevents diabetic complications, and its deficiency, resulting from mutation of thiamine transporter gene SLC19A2 has been linked to diabetes mellitus. We previously found that thiamine mitigates metabolic disorders in spontaneous hypertensive rats, harboring defects in glucose and fatty acid metabolism. The current study extends our hypothesis that that thiamine intervention may impact metabolic abnormalities in polyphagia-induced Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats that lack functional cholecystokinin A receptors. Male OLETF rats exhibit progressive obesity and metabolic disorders similar to human metabolic syndrome. Male OLETF rats (4-week-old) were given free access to water containing either 0.2 % or 0 % of thiamine for 51 weeks. At the end of treatment, blood parameters and cardiac functions were analyzed. After sacrifice, the organs were removed and weights of organs and histological findings were evaluated. In addition, differential gene expression in the liver was analyzed. Thiamine intervention averted obesity, mainly resulting from reduction of visceral adiposity, and prevented metabolic disorders in OLETF rats. Histological evaluation revealed that thiamine alleviated adipocyte hypertrophy, steatosis in the liver, heart, and skeletal muscle, interstitial fibrosis in the heart and kidney, fatty degeneration in the pancreas, thickening of the basement membrane of vasculature, and glomerulopathy and mononuclear cell infiltration in the kidney. Cardiac and renal functions were preserved in thiamine treatment. Seventy-six genes showed at least two-fold difference in hepatic expression with thiamine treatment. Several of them participated in carbohydrate metabolism (Hk1, Pygb, Slc2a8, Rtn4, Rhbdl1, and Tspan8), lipid metabolism (Pla2g15, Por, and Lmf1), vascular physiology (S1pr1, Epha8, Rtn4, Slc7a13, Cdh15, Itga9, Cd151, Cd40lg, Nid1 and Lamb1), and carcinogenesis (Lmo7, Fgfr3, and Dmbt1). Modification of transcript expression well accorded with the findings of blood parameters and organ morphologies. Thiamine prevented polyphagia-induced obesity and metabolic and functional disorders in OLETF rats.
Project description:Analysis of hormone effects on irradiated LBNF1 rat testes, which contain only somatic cells except for a few type A spermatgogonia. Rats were treated for 2 weeks with either sham treatment (group X), hormonal ablation (GnRH antagonist and the androgen receptor antagonist flutamide, group XAF), testosterone supplementation (GnRH antagonist and testosterone, group XAT), and FSH supplementation ((GnRH antagonist, androgen receptor antagonist, and FSH, group XAFF). Results provide insight into identifying genes in the somatic testis cells regulated by testosterone, LH, or FSH.
Project description:Obesity has become a global health concern. A molecule that safely prevents and/or treats obesity is urgently needed. Here, we show that long-term diet supplementation of disulfiram (DSF, Antabuse®), an FDA-approved drug, abrogated the adverse impact of an obesogenic diet on insulin responsiveness, while mitigating liver steatosis, cardiovascular remodeling, and pancreatic islet hypertrophy in mice. Additionally, DSF treatment of already obese male and female mice reversed weight gain and alleviated metabolic dysfunctions. Loss of fat tissue and increase in liver fenestrations were also observed in rats on DSF. Transcriptomics and proteomics analyses of mouse and rat livers unveiled comparable signatures, as revealed by pathways associated with lipid and energy metabolism, redox, and detoxification. Mechanistically, markers of hepatic oxidative stress were abrogated in DSF-treated mice through activation of ALDH2 and GST activities in vivo and stimulation of autophagic flux in vitro. Thus, repurposing DSF may represent a new strategy to combat obesity and reverse the associated metabolic disorders in human.
Project description:Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used to establish exhausted-exercise model by motorized rodent treadmill. Yu-Ping-Feng-San at doses of 2.18 g/kg was administrated by gavage before exercise training for 10 consecutive days. Quantitative proteomics was performed for assessing the related mechanism of Yu-Ping-Feng-San.
Project description:Analysis of LBNF1 rat testes from controls, containing both somatic and all germ cell types and from irradiated rats in which all cells germ cells except type A spermatgogonia are eliminated. Results provide insight into distinguishing germ and somatic cell genes and identification of somatic cell genes that are upregulated after irradiation.