This study was performed to determine whether or not uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) and UCP3 expression in porcine subcutaneous adipose tissue are hormonally regulated in vitro and whether their expression is correlated with changes in metabolic activity. Tissue slices (approximately 100 mg) were placed in 12-well plates containing 1 mL of DMEM/F12 with 25 mM Hepes, 0.5% BSA, pH 7.4. Triplicate sl...

The effects of a 3-d peripheral administration of an alpha-MSH agonist, MTII, on body weight and the expression of uncoupling proteins (UCPs) and carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 were determined in lean and genetically obese fa/fa rats by comparing MTII-treated animals with two different control groups, one being ad libitum fed, the other pair-fed to the amount of food consumed by MTII-treated ...

INTRODUCTION Gene expression analyses from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and white adipose tissue are conflicting. It seems that results from single tissue are not enough to explain how changes affect humans as a complex biological system. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to compare, from obesity subjects, PBMC and white adipose tissue gene expression that regulates adipogenesi...

Uncoupling proteins (UCPs) are mitochondrial transporters present in the inner membrane of mitochondria. They are found in all mammals and in plants. They belong to the family of anion mitochondrial carriers including adenine nucleotide transporters. The term "uncoupling protein" was originally used for UCP1, which is uniquely present in mitochondria of brown adipocytes, the thermogenic cells t...

UNLABELLED Introduction : Obesity results from interaction between genetic and environmental risk factors. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of three gene variants and environmental factors on obesity and overweight in young people aged 10 to 18 years in a Colombian population. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 424 subjects were selected and separated into three groups for a cross-sectional s...

The efficacy of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α-agonists (e.g., fibrates) against nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)/nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in humans is not known. Pemafibrate is a novel selective peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α modulator that can maximize the beneficial effects and minimize the adverse effects of fibrates used currently. In a phase-...

Decreased serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) cholesterol is a major risk factor for atherosclerosis and vascular disease. In this study, we assessed the association of 10 uncoupling protein (UCP) 2 and UCP3 polymorphisms with serum HDL cholesterol levels and atherogenic indexes among 658 Korean women. Among the 10 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the UCP2 and UCP3 genes, 2 SNPs in ...

The purpose of the present study was to identify gene polymorphisms that confer susceptibility to recurrent restenosis after bare-metal stenting of coronary arteries, and thereby to assess the genetic risk for this condition. The study population comprised 527 unrelated Japanese individuals, including 28 subjects who developed in-stent restenosis two or more times and 499 subjects without reste...

The impact of the UCP2 -866G>A and UCP3 -55C>T variants on prospective risk of type 2 diabetes was examined over 15 years in 2,936 healthy middle-aged men (mean age 56 years). Conversion to diabetes (n = 169) was associated with higher BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides and C-reactive protein. The hazard ratio (HR) for diabetes of a BMI >30 kg/m(2) was 3.96 (95% CI 2.87-5.47). Homo...

Uncoupling proteins (UCPs) are anion carriers expressed in the mitochondrial inner membrane that uncouple oxygen consumption by the respiratory chain from ATP synthesis. The physiological functions of UCPs have long been debated since the new UCPs (UCP2 to 5) were discovered, and the role of UCPs in the pathogeneses of diabetes mellitus is one of the hottest topics. UCPs are thought to be activ...