Investigation of insulin resistance through a multiorgan microfluidic organ-on-chip

Author(s):  
Nida Tanataweethum ◽  
Allyson Trang ◽  
Chaeeun Lee ◽  
Jhalak Mehta ◽  
Neha Patel ◽  
...  

Abstract The development of hepatic insulin resistance (IR) is a critical factor in developing type 2 diabetes (T2D), where insulin fails to inhibit hepatic glucose production but retains its capacity to promote hepatic lipogenesis. Improving insulin sensitivity can be effective in preventing and treating T2D. However, selective control of glucose and lipid synthesis has been difficult. It is known that excess white adipose tissue is detrimental to insulin sensitivity, whereas brown adipose tissue transplantation can restore it in diabetic mice. However, challenges remain in our understanding of liver-adipose communication because the confounding effects of hypothalamic regulation of metabolic function cannot be ruled out in previous studies. There is a lack of in vitro models that use primary cells to study cellular-crosstalk under insulin resistant conditions. Building upon our previous work on the microfluidic primary liver and adipose organ-on-chips, we report for the first time the development of integrated insulin resistant liver-adipose (white and brown) organ-on-chip. The design of the microfluidic device was carried out using computational fluid dynamics; the experimental studies were conducted by carrying out detailed biochemical analysis RNA-seq analysis on both cell types. Further, we tested the hypothesis that brown adipocytes regulated both hepatic insulin sensitivity and lipogenesis. Our results show effective co-modulation of hepatic glucose and lipid synthesis through a platform for identifying potential therapeutics for IR and diabetes.

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose T Muratalla ◽  
Samuel M Lee ◽  
Pablo Remon-Ruiz ◽  
Gregory H Norris ◽  
Jose Cordoba-Chacon

Abstract Pparg is a nuclear receptor that regulates glucose and lipid metabolism. Thiazolidinediones (TZD) are PPARG agonists that may reduce hepatic steatosis through their effects in adipose tissue. However, some studies suggest that expression and activation of hepatocyte Pparg promotes steatosis. In this study, we have assessed the relevance of hepatocyte Pparg, and its TZD-mediated activation in the development and/or reduction of steatosis, with adult-onset hepatocyte-specific Pparg knockout (PpargΔHep) mice. We reported that a single iv injection of AAV8-TBG-Cre in Pparg-floxed mice, knocked out hepatocyte Pparg expression (PpargΔHep mice), and that prevented diet-induced steatosis. In this study, a group of 5 wk-old Pparg-floxed mice were fed a low fat (LF) or a high fat (HF) diet for 7 weeks before generating control and PpargΔHep mice. Then, half of the HF-fed mice in each group were switched to a HF diet supplemented with the TZD Rosiglitazone maleate, for 5 weeks. HF diet induced mild obesity (36.8 +/- 1.4 g of body weight [BW]), while TZD slightly increased BW (41.3 +/- 1.3 g) and insulin sensitivity. Liver weight was not altered in HF-fed mice with or without TZD, and we did not observe any effect induced by PpargΔHep. Due to the mild phenotype observed in this cohort, we generated a 2nd cohort adjusting for age and length of diet. Briefly, 10 wk-old Pparg-floxed mice were fed a LF or HF diet for 16 weeks before generating control and PpargΔHep mice. Then, half of the HF-fed mice in each group were switched to a HF diet supplemented with Rosiglitazone maleate for 7 weeks. In this group of mice, HF diet induced obesity (50.1 +/- 1.05 g BW), and increased liver weight independent of hepatic Pparg expression. TZD treatment exacerbated obesity (62.4 +/- 1.2g BW) and adiposity, but increased insulin sensitivity as compared to mice fed a HF diet without TZD. Interestingly, PpargΔHep mice fed a HF diet with TZD showed enlarged subcutaneous white and brown adipose tissue weight, and a dramatic reduction in liver weight and steatosis as compared to obese control mice treated with TZD. The expression of hepatic Cd36, Cidea, Cidec, and Fabp4 was increased by TZD in a Pparg-dependent manner in HF-fed mice. Altogether, this data suggest that hepatocyte Pparg expression may offset the antisteatogenic actions of TZD in mice with severe obesity. In obese and insulin resistant individuals, TZD-mediated activation of hepatocyte Pparg may exacerbate steatosis.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oana P. Zaharia ◽  
Klaus Strassburger ◽  
Birgit Knebel ◽  
Yuliya Kupriyanova ◽  
Yanislava Karusheva ◽  
...  

<a><b>Objective</b></a>: The rs738409(G) single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 3 (<i>PNPLA3</i>) gene associates with increased risk and progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). As the recently-described severe insulin-resistant diabetes (SIRD) cluster specifically relates to NAFLD, this study examined whether this SNP differently associates with hepatic lipid content (HCL) and insulin sensitivity in recent-onset diabetes mellitus. <p><b>Research Design and Methods</b>: A total of 917 participants of the German Diabetes Study underwent genotyping, hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamps with stable isotopic tracer dilution and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. </p> <p><b>Results:</b> The G allele associated positively with HCL (β=0.36, p<0.01), independent of age, sex and BMI across the whole cohort, but not in the individual clusters. SIRD exhibited lowest whole-body insulin sensitivity compared to severe insulin-deficient (SIDD), moderate obesity-related (MOD), moderate age-related (MARD) and severe autoimmune diabetes clusters (SAID; all p<0.001). Interestingly, SIRD presented with higher prevalence of the rs738409(G) SNP compared to other clusters and the glucose-tolerant control group (p<0.05). HCL was higher in SIRD [13.6 (5.8;19.1)%] compared to MOD [6.4 (2.1;12.4)%, p<0.05], MARD [3.0 (1.0;7.9)%, p<0.001], SAID [0.4 (0.0;1.5)%, p<0.001] and the glucose tolerant group [0.9 (0.4;4.9)%, p<0.001]. Although the <i>PNPLA3</i> polymorphism did not directly associate with whole-body insulin sensitivity in SIRD, the G allele carriers had higher circulating free fatty acid concentrations and greater adipose-tissue insulin resistance compared to non-carriers (both p<0.001).</p> <b>Conclusions:</b> Members of the severe insulin resistant diabetes cluster are more frequently carriers of the rs738409(G) variant. The SNP-associated adipose-tissue insulin resistance and excessive lipolysis may contribute to their NAFLD.


Author(s):  
Tuantuan Tong ◽  
Ning Ren ◽  
Jiafan Wu ◽  
Na Guo ◽  
Xiaobo Liu ◽  
...  

Theaflavins, the characteristic and bioactive polyphenols in black tea, possess the potential improvement effects on insulin resistance-associated metabolic abnormalities including obesity and type 2 diebetes. However, the molecular mechanisms of theaflavins improving insulin sensitivity are still not clear. In this study, we investigated the protective effects and mechanisms of theaflavins on palmitic acid-induced insulin resistance in HepG2 cells. Theaflavins could significantly increase glucose uptake of insulin-resistant cells at noncytotoxic doses. This activity was mediated by upregulating the glucose transporter 4 protein expression, increasing the phosphorylation of IRS-1 at Ser307, and reduced the phosphor-Akt (Ser473) level. Moreover, theaflavins were found to enhance mitochondrial DNA copy number through down-regulate the PGC-1&beta; mRNA level and up-regulate PRC mRNA expression in insulin-resistant HepG2 cells. These results indicated that theaflavins could improve free fatty acid-induced hepatic insulin resistance by promoting mitochondrial biogenesis, and were promising functional food and medicines for insulin resistance-related disorders.


1994 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 1106-1112 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Bobbioni-Harsch ◽  
F. Assimacopoulos-Jeannet ◽  
B. Jeanrenaud

Glucose turnover rate, 2-deoxy-D-[3H]glucose (2-DG) uptake, lipid synthesis in liver, white adipose tissue, and brown adipose tissue (BAT) were measured in lean FA/FA and genetically obese fa/fa rats either kept at 21 degrees C or acclimated to a cold environment (4 degrees C). After 10 days at 4 degrees C, lean rats increased their glucose turnover rate; 2-DG uptake as well as lipid synthesis in BAT were markedly stimulated. After cold acclimation, obese rats also increased glucose turnover; however, BAT glucose utilization was only slightly stimulated. Basal hyperinsulinemia and muscle insulin resistance of the obese group (as assessed by reduced 2-DG uptake in the soleus muscle) were present at room temperature and persisted at 4 degrees C. Total BAT lipid synthesis was increased to the same extent as in lean rats. Obese rat liver lipid synthesis, already much higher than normal at 21 degrees C, was further increased by cold exposure. We conclude that obese cold-acclimated fa/fa rats do not improve their muscle insulin resistance and barely improve BAT glucose utilization. We further suggest that an additional activation of hepatic lipid synthesis and oxidation thereof could participate in the heat production needed by the cold-acclimated obese rats.


2015 ◽  
Vol 113 (2) ◽  
pp. 446-451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong-Qi Li ◽  
Yogendra B. Shrestha ◽  
Min Chen ◽  
Tatyana Chanturiya ◽  
Oksana Gavrilova ◽  
...  

Gsα, the G protein that transduces receptor-stimulated cAMP generation, mediates sympathetic nervous system stimulation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis and browning of white adipose tissue (WAT), which are both potential targets for treating obesity, as well as lipolysis. We generated a mouse line with Gsα deficiency in mature BAT and WAT adipocytes (Ad-GsKO). Ad-GsKO mice had impaired BAT function, absent browning of WAT, and reduced lipolysis, and were therefore cold-intolerant. Despite the presence of these abnormalities, Ad-GsKO mice maintained normal energy balance on both standard and high-fat diets, associated with decreases in both lipolysis and lipid synthesis. In addition, Ad-GsKO mice maintained at thermoneutrality on a standard diet also had normal energy balance. Ad-GsKO mice had improved insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism, possibly secondary to the effects of reduced lipolysis and lower circulating fatty acid binding protein 4 levels. Gsα signaling in adipose tissues may therefore affect whole-body glucose metabolism in the absence of an effect on body weight.


2016 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
pp. 989-991 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esben Søndergaard ◽  
Michael D Jensen

In metabolically healthy humans, adipose tissue is exquisitely sensitive to insulin. Similar to muscle and liver, adipose tissue lipolysis is insulin resistant in adults with central obesity and type 2 diabetes. Perhaps uniquely, however, insulin resistance in adipose tissue may directly contribute to development of insulin resistance in muscle and liver because of the increased delivery of free fatty acids to those tissues. It has been hypothesized that insulin adipose tissue resistance may precede other metabolic defects in obesity and type 2 diabetes. Therefore, precise and reproducible quantification of adipose tissue insulin sensitivity, in vivo, in humans, is an important measure. Unfortunately, no consensus exists on how to determine adipose tissue insulin sensitivity. We review the methods available to quantitate adipose tissue insulin sensitivity and will discuss their strengths and weaknesses.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nida Tanataweethum ◽  
Chaeeun Lee ◽  
Allyson Trang ◽  
Franklin Zhong ◽  
Kihwan Kim ◽  
...  

Abstract The development of insulin resistance (IR) in liver is a key of pathophysiologic response in type 2 diabetes. Although insulin resistance impairs its ability to suppress hepatic glucose production, insulin regulation of lipogenesis is maintained (1). Currently available insulin sensitizers are effective at lowering glucose levels, but have significant adverse effect on weight gain due to triglyceride accumulation, which highlights a need to develop new therapeutic treatment options for type 2 diabetes. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) has been studied as a new target for anti-obesity and type 2 diabetes as BAT stimulation increases energy expenditure, reduces adiposity, and improves insulin sensitivity (2). However, the underlying mechanisms are not completely understood. To identify the role of BAT adipokines on hepatic insulin resistance, we developed an insulin resistant liver organ-on-chip model and then perfused primary mouse brown adipocyte conditioned media through the hepatocytes. Our results demonstrate that IR hepatocytes treated with brown adipocyte - conditioned media restores insulin sensitivity and improves glucose metabolism. This was verified by significantly increased expression of Phospho-Akt (Ser473) and glucose production gene markers (G6pc and PEPCK), lowered glucose production, increased glucose uptake, and increased glycogen synthesis in treated hepatocytes over IR group (p &lt; 0.05). Our results also indicate that brown adipocyte - conditioned media treatment has the potential to suppress lipogenesis in hepatic insulin resistance. This was confirmed by significantly reduced expression of a lipogenesis gene marker (SREPB1) and fatty acid uptake in treated hepatocytes over IR group (p &lt; 0.05). Current efforts are focused towards identifying the BAT adipokine via mass spectrometry. We conclude that BAT-derived endocrine factors could be a potential target for new drug discovery for obesity and type 2 diabetes treatment. Reference: (1) Langlet et al. Cell. 2017 Nov;171(4):824-835. (2) Subhadraw et al. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metlab. 2015 Jun;308(12):E1043-E1055. Nothing to Disclose: NT, CL, AT, FZ, KK, JM, RC, AB


1994 ◽  
Vol 267 (6) ◽  
pp. R1503-R1509 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Vettor ◽  
I. Cusin ◽  
D. Ganten ◽  
F. Rohner-Jeanrenaud ◽  
E. Ferrannini ◽  
...  

The link between hyperinsulinemia and hypertension is imperfectly understood. Recently, a renin gene (the mouse DBA/REN-2d gene) has been transfected into rats, leading to high blood pressure in transgene-positive animals, TGR(mREN-2)27 rats. We tested whether heterozygous hypertensive TGR(mREN-2)27 rats presented evidence of insulin resistance in comparison with the parent strain of Sprague-Dawley rats. Despite their higher blood pressure (203 +/- 8 vs. 112 +/- 6 mmHg, P < 0.001), transgenic rats had normal fasting levels of plasma glucose, insulin, free fatty acids, and triglycerides and had normal fasting rates of hepatic glucose production (by [14C]glucose infusion). During a euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp (3 mU/min), stimulation of whole body glucose utilization was equivalent in transgenic and control animals (12.6 +/- 0.6 vs. 10.9 +/- 1.0 mg.min-1.kg-1, respectively). Likewise, suppression of hepatic glucose output by insulin was complete in both groups. The glucose utilization index (as measured by the 2-deoxy-D-[3H]glucose technique) was similar between transgenic and control animals in several skeletal muscles (soleus, extensor digitorum longus, tibialis, diaphragm, white and red quadriceps, and white and red gastrocnemius), in white adipose tissue (periovarian and inguinal), and in brown adipose tissue. We conclude that single gene hypertension does not alter whole body and individual tissue insulin sensitivity.


2002 ◽  
Vol 282 (1) ◽  
pp. E38-E45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chaodong Wu ◽  
David A. Okar ◽  
Christopher B. Newgard ◽  
Alex J. Lange

Hepatic glucose production is increased as a metabolic consequence of insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes. Because fructose 2,6-bisphosphate is an important regulator of hepatic glucose production, we used adenovirus-mediated enzyme overexpression to increase hepatic fructose 2,6-bisphosphate to determine if the hyperglycemia in KK mice, polygenic models of type 2 diabetes, could be ameliorated by reduction of hepatic glucose production. Seven days after treatment with virus encoding a mutant 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase designed to increase fructose 2,6-bisphosphate levels, plasma glucose, lipids, and insulin were significantly reduced in KK/H1J and KK.Cg-Ay/J mice. Moreover, high fructose 2,6-bisphosphate levels downregulated glucose-6-phosphatase and upregulated glucokinase gene expression, thereby reversing the insulin-resistant pattern of hepatic gene expression of these two key glucose-metabolic enzymes. The increased hepatic fructose 2,6-bisphosphate also reduced adiposity in both KK mice. These results clearly indicate that increasing hepatic fructose 2,6-bisphosphate overcomes the impairment of insulin in suppressing hepatic glucose production, and it provides a potential therapy for type 2 diabetes.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Lambert ◽  
Marie Hokayem ◽  
Claire Thomas ◽  
Odile Fabre ◽  
Cécile Cassan ◽  
...  

One of the major insulin resistance instigators is excessive adiposity and visceral fat depots. Individually, exercise training and polyphenol intake are known to exert health benefits as improving insulin sensitivity. However, their combined curative effects on established obesity and insulin resistance need further investigation particularly on white adipose tissue alterations. Therefore, we compared the effects on different white adipose tissue depot alterations of a combination of exercise and grape polyphenol supplementation in obese insulin-resistant rats fed a high-fat diet to the effects of a high-fat diet alone or a nutritional supplementation of grape polyphenols (50 mg/kg/day) or exercise training (1 hr/day to 5 days/wk consisting of treadmill running at 32 m/min for a 10% slope), for a total duration of 8 weeks. Separately, polyphenol supplementation and exercise decreased the quantity of all adipose tissue depots and mesenteric inflammation. Exercise reduced adipocytes’ size in all fat stores. Interestingly, combining exercise to polyphenol intake presents no more cumulative benefit on adipose tissue alterations than exercise alone. Insulin sensitivity was improved at systemic, epididymal, and inguinal adipose tissues levels in trained rats thus indicating that despite their effects on adipocyte morphological/metabolic changes, polyphenols at nutritional doses remain less effective than exercise in fighting insulin resistance.


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