The extract of Psoralea corylifolia seeds (PCE) has been widely used as a herbal medicine because of its beneficial effect on human health. In this study, we investigated the protective effects and molecular mechanisms of PCE on palmitate- (PA-) induced toxicity in PC12 cells, a neuron-like cell line. PCE significantly increased cell viability in PA-treated PC12 cells and showed antiapoptotic e...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Adult and childhood obesity is an independent risk factor in development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and its progression to end-stage kidney disease. Pathologic consequences of obesity include non-esterified fatty acid-induced oxidative stress and consequent injury. Since the serine36-phosphorylated p66shc is a newly recognized mediator of oxidative stress and kidney injury,...

Obesity is increasing in prevalence and is strongly associated with metabolic and cardiovascular disorders. The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has emerged as a key pathogenic mechanism for these disorders; angiotensin (Ang)-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) negatively regulates RAS by metabolizing Ang II into Ang 1-7. We studied the role of ACE2 in obesity-mediated cardiac dysfunction. ACE2 null (ACE2...

Although diabetic cardiomyopathy is associated with enhanced intramyocardial triacylglycerol (TAG) levels, the role of TAG catabolizing enzymes in this process is unclear. Because the TAG hydrolase, adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL), regulates baseline cardiac metabolism and function, we examined whether alterations in cardiomyocyte ATGL impact cardiac function during uncontrolled type 1 diabe...

Prepubertal African American (AA) youth compared with their Caucasian (C) peers have higher insulin secretion, which correlates positively with free fatty acid (FFA) concentration. In our continued efforts to explain the racial disparity in insulinemia, and because FFAs modulate insulin secretion, we hypothesized that AA youth would have a greater response to FFA-induced β-cell insulin secretio...

Lipotoxicity seriously harms human health, but it is unclear whether lipotoxicity is detrimental to the pituitary. We investigated the correlation between serum triglyceride and pituitary axis hormone levels in epidemiological and animal studies. In the epidemiological study, serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels were gre...

Palmitate concentrations in type 2 diabetic patients are higher than in healthy subjects. The prolonged elevation of plasma palmitate levels induces oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in neuronal cells. In this study, we examined the role of mdivi-1, a selective inhibitor of mitochondrial fission protein dynamin-regulated protein 1 (Drp1), on the survival of cultured hippocampal neu...

BACKGROUND Obesity is associated with dyslipidemia, which leads to elevated triglyceride and ceramide levels, apoptosis and compromised cardiac function. METHODS To determine the role of high-fat diet-induced obesity on cardiomyocyte function, weanling male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed diets incorporating 10% of kcal or 45% of kcal from fat. Mechanical function of ventricular myocytes was eva...

BACKGROUND An acute surplus of carbohydrates, and other substrates, can be converted and safely stored as lipids in adipocytes via de novo lipogenesis (DNL). However, in obesity, a condition characterized by chronic positive energy balance, DNL in non-adipose tissues may lead to ectopic lipid accumulation leading to lipotoxicity and metabolic stress. Indeed, DNL is dynamically recruited in live...

Diabetes is a complex, heterogeneous condition that has beta cell dysfunction at its core. Many factors (e.g. hyperglycemia/glucotoxicity, lipotoxicity, autoimmunity, inflammation, adipokines, islet amyloid, incretins and insulin resistance) influence the function of pancreatic beta cells. Chronic hyperglycaemia may result in detrimental effects on insulin synthesis/secretion, cell survival and...