scholarly journals The Liver under the Spotlight: Bile Acids and Oxysterols as Pivotal Actors Controlling Metabolism

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 400
Author(s):  
Charlotte Lefort ◽  
Patrice D. Cani

Among the myriad of molecules produced by the liver, both bile acids and their precursors, the oxysterols are becoming pivotal bioactive lipids which have been underestimated for a long time. Their actions are ranging from regulation of energy homeostasis (i.e., glucose and lipid metabolism) to inflammation and immunity, thereby opening the avenue to new treatments to tackle metabolic disorders associated with obesity (e.g., type 2 diabetes and hepatic steatosis) and inflammatory diseases. Here, we review the biosynthesis of these endocrine factors including their interconnection with the gut microbiota and their impact on host homeostasis as well as their attractive potential for the development of therapeutic strategies for metabolic disorders.

Author(s):  
Roldan M. de Guia ◽  
Adam J. Rose ◽  
Stephan Herzig

AbstractGlucocorticoids (GC) and their cognate intracellular receptor, the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), have been characterised as critical checkpoints in the endocrine control of energy homeostasis in mammals. Indeed, aberrant GC action has been linked to a variety of severe metabolic diseases, including obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. As a steroid-binding member of the nuclear receptor superfamily of transcription factors, the GR translocates into the cell nucleus upon GC binding where it serves as a transcriptional regulator of distinct GC-responsive target genes that are – in many cases – associated with glucose and lipid regulatory pathways and thereby intricately control both physiological and pathophysiological systemic energy homeostasis. Here, we summarize the current knowledge of GC/GR function in energy metabolism and systemic metabolic dysfunction, particularly focusing on glucose and lipid metabolism.


2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-34
Author(s):  
T T Tsoriev ◽  
Zh E White ◽  
L Ya Rozhinskaya

Myokines are hormone-like acting molecules produced in skeletal muscles during and immediately after exercise. They affect both paracrine (inside the muscles themselves) and endocrine manner (in adipose tissue, liver, endothelium, skin, mucosa etc.) implementing different effects on target tissues, mainly through regulation of metabolic processes (such as glucose and lipid metabolism, growth and division of neurons and endothelial cells and others). The examination of myokines is of great interest for researchers of different medicine departments, particularly for endocrinologists, because of myokines’ involvement in pathogenesis of abdominal and visceral obesity, diabetes mellitus type 2 and cardiovascular diseases that are all the components of metabolic syndrome. The most important issue for clinicians is a possibility of future therapeutic implication of the myokine’s signal pathways in treatment of widespread metabolic disorders.


PPAR Research ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsuyoshi Goto ◽  
Nobuyuki Takahashi ◽  
Shizuka Hirai ◽  
Teruo Kawada

Several herbal plants improve medical conditions. Such plants contain many bioactive phytochemicals. Terpenoids (also called “isoprenoids”) constitute one of the largest families of natural products accounting for more than 40,000 individual compounds of both primary and secondary metabolisms. In particular, terpenoids are contained in many herbal plants, and several terpenoids have been shown to be available for pharmaceutical applications, for example, artemisinin and taxol as malaria and cancer medicines, respectively. Various terpenoids are contained in many plants for not only herbal use but also dietary use. In this paper, we describe several bioactive terpenoids contained in herbal or dietary plants, which can modulate the activities of ligand-dependent transcription factors, namely, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs). Because PPARs are dietary lipid sensors that control energy homeostasis, daily eating of these terpenoids might be useful for the management for obesity-induced metabolic disorders, such as type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular diseases.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1096 ◽  
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Moszak ◽  
Monika Szulińska ◽  
Paweł Bogdański

The gut microbiota (GM) is defined as the community of microorganisms (bacteria, archaea, fungi, viruses) colonizing the gastrointestinal tract. GM regulates various metabolic pathways in the host, including those involved in energy homeostasis, glucose and lipid metabolism, and bile acid metabolism. The relationship between alterations in intestinal microbiota and diseases associated with civilization is well documented. GM dysbiosis is involved in the pathogenesis of diverse diseases, such as metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and neurological disorders. Multiple factors modulate the composition of the microbiota and how it physically functions, but one of the major factors triggering GM establishment is diet. In this paper, we reviewed the current knowledge about the relationship between nutrition, gut microbiota, and host metabolic status. We described how macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, fat) and different dietary patterns (e.g., Western-style diet, vegetarian diet, Mediterranean diet) interact with the composition and activity of GM, and how gut bacterial dysbiosis has an influence on metabolic disorders, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hyperlipidemia.


Open Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang Guo ◽  
Chenxi Wang ◽  
Xia Deng ◽  
Jianqiang He ◽  
Ling Yang ◽  
...  

ANGPTL8 is an important cytokine, which is significantly increased in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), obesity and metabolic syndrome. Many studies have shown that ANGPTL8 can be used as a bio-marker of these metabolic disorders related diseases, and the baseline ANGPTL8 level has also been found to be positively correlated with retinopathy and all-cause mortality in patients with T2DM. This may be related to the inhibition of lipoprotein lipase activity and the reduction of circulating triglyceride (TG) clearance by ANGPTL8. Consistently, inhibition of ANGPTL8 seems to prevent or improve atherosclerosis. However, it is puzzling that ANGPTL8 seems to have a directing function for TG uptake in peripheral tissues; that is, ANGPTL8 specifically enhances the reserve and buffering function of white adipose tissue, which may alleviate the ectopic lipid accumulation to a certain extent. Furthermore, ANGPTL8 can improve insulin sensitivity and inhibit hepatic glucose production. These contradictory results lead to different opinions on the role of ANGPTL8 in metabolic disorders. In this paper, the correlation between ANGPTL8 and metabolic diseases, the regulation of ANGPTL8 and the physiological role of ANGPTL8 in the process of glucose and lipid metabolism were summarized, and the physiological/pathological significance of ANGPTL8 in the process of metabolic disorder was discussed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 72 ◽  
pp. 327-338
Author(s):  
Anna Borsuk ◽  
Weronika Biernat ◽  
Dorota Zięba

In recent years obesity is treated as a civilization disorder. It is believed that it is the cause of diseases of many system; moreover, moreover obesity can promote the development of many types of cancers and is a major health hazard for insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Currently, the mechanisms underlying the development of obesity are not completely known. Over many years of experiments different factors contributing to the formation of obesity have been recognized. The discovery of resistin as a protein linking obesity to type 2 diabetes marked the beginning of a period of intensive research on this molecule. However, until now its role in the body has been controversial. In rodent resistin is responsible for the development of insulin resistance, but in humans this effect is ambiguous. This protein has strong proinflammatory properties, which can be associated with the development of inflammatory diseases, including atherosclerosis. It is possible that resistin is involved in the regulation of energy homeostasis, mainly by modulating the metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids; also, it acts as anorexigenic compound – it suppresses appetite. Resistin affects the functioning of many body systems, including reproductive and cardiovascular systems. Recent reports suggest that resistin can play a role in the development of resistance to leptin. The paper presents the current state of knowledge concerning the biological functions of resistin in the organism and its potential role in the development of leptin resistance. Leptin resistance together with hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance all might lead to disorders of energy homeostasis and the development of numerous diseases.


2016 ◽  
Vol 228 (3) ◽  
pp. R85-R96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Libor Vítek ◽  
Martin Haluzík

Bile acids (BA), long believed to only have lipid-digestive functions, have emerged as novel metabolic modulators. They have important endocrine effects through multiple cytoplasmic as well as nuclear receptors in various organs and tissues. BA affect multiple functions to control energy homeostasis, as well as glucose and lipid metabolism, predominantly by activating the nuclear farnesoid X receptor and the cytoplasmic G protein-coupled BA receptor TGR5 in a variety of tissues. However, BA also are aimed at many other cellular targets in a wide array of organs and cell compartments. Their role in the pathogenesis of diabetes, obesity and other ‘diseases of civilization’ becomes even more clear. They also interact with the gut microbiome, with important clinical implications, further extending the complexity of their biological functions. Therefore, it is not surprising that BA metabolism is substantially modulated by bariatric surgery, a phenomenon contributing favorably to the therapeutic effects of these surgical procedures. Based on these data, several therapeutic approaches to ameliorate obesity and diabetes have been proposed to affect the cellular targets of BA.


2017 ◽  
Vol 234 (3) ◽  
pp. R123-R134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel T Scarl ◽  
C Martin Lawrence ◽  
Hannah M Gordon ◽  
Craig S Nunemaker

Preserving energy homeostasis in the presence of stressors such as proinflammatory cytokines and nutrient overload is crucial to maintaining normal cellular function. Six transmembrane epithelial antigen of the prostate 4 (STEAP4), a metalloreductase involved in iron and copper homeostasis, is thought to play a potentially important role in the cellular response to inflammatory stress. Genome-wide association studies have linked various mutations in STEAP4 with the development of metabolic disorders such as obesity, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Several studies have shown that expression of Steap4 is modulated by inflammatory cytokines, hormones and other indicators of cellular stress and that STEAP4 may protect cells from damage, helping to maintain normal metabolic function. STEAP4 appears to be particularly relevant in metabolically oriented cells, such as adipocytes, hepatocytes and pancreatic islet cells. These cells struggle to maintain their function in iron or copper overloaded states, presumably due to increased oxidative stress, suggesting STEAP4’s role in metal homeostasis is critical to the maintenance of cellular homeostasis in general, and in preventing the onset of metabolic disease. In this review, we explore genetic associations of STEAP4 with metabolic disorders, and we examine STEAP4 tissue expression, subcellular localization, regulation, structure and function as it relates to metabolic diseases. We then examine how STEAP4’s role as a regulator of cellular iron and copper may relate to type 2 diabetes.


Parasitology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 145 (10) ◽  
pp. 1324-1335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kateřina Jirků Pomajbíková ◽  
Milan Jirků ◽  
Jana Levá ◽  
Kateřina Sobotková ◽  
Evan Morien ◽  
...  

AbstractThe tapeworm Hymenolepis diminuta is a model for the impact of helminth colonization on the mammalian immune system and a candidate therapeutic agent for immune mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs). In mice, H. diminuta protects against models of inflammatory colitis by inducing a strong type 2 immune response that is activated to expel the immature worm. Rats are the definitive host of H. diminuta, and are colonized stably and over long time periods without harming the host. Rats mount a mild type 2 immune response to H. diminuta colonization, but this response does not generally ameliorate colitis. Here we investigate the ability of different life cycle stages of H. diminuta to protect rats against a model of colitis induced through application of the haptenizing agent dinitrobenzene sulphonic acid (DNBS) directly to the colon, and monitor rat clinical health, systemic inflammation measured by TNFα and IL-1β, and the gut microbiota. We show that immature H. diminuta induces a type 2 response as measured by increased IL-4, IL-13 and IL-10 expression, but does not protect against colitis. In contrast, rats colonized with mature H. diminuta and challenged with severe colitis (two applications of DNBS) have lower inflammation and less severe clinical symptoms. This effect is not related the initial type 2 immune response. The gut microbiota is disrupted during colitis and does not appear to play an overt role in H. diminuta-mediated protection.


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