Herein we investigated the molecular mechanism of action of the citrus flavonoid, quercetin in skeletal muscle cells (L6 myotubes). Taking advantage of protein kinase inhibitors, we proved that the effect of quercetin on 2-NBDG uptake in L6 myotubes was not through insulin signaling pathway, but through adenosine monophosphate kinase (AMPK) pathway and its downstream target p38 MAPK. An increas...

INTRODUCTION Ghrelin is a potent orexigenic brain-gut peptide with lipogenic and diabetogenic effects, possibly mediated by growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R1a). Cannabinoids also have orexigenic and lipogenic effects. AMPK is a regulator of energy homeostasis and we have previously shown that ghrelin and cannabinoids stimulate hypothalamic AMPK activity while inhibiting it in the liv...

BACKGROUND Recent studies have shown that both adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase (AMPK) and the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) are energy sensors and are related to autophagy. Our recent reports have shown that salidroside can exert protective effects against hypoxia-induced pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cell (PASMC) proliferation and apoptosis resistance through the AMP...

Poxviruses include medically important human pathogens, yet little is known about the specific cellular factors essential for their replication. To identify genes essential for poxvirus infection, we used high-throughput RNA interference to screen the Drosophila kinome for factors required for vaccinia infection. We identified seven genes including the three subunits of AMPK as promoting vaccin...

Perinatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) occurs in 1-2 in every 1000 term infants and the devastating consequences range from cerebral palsy, epilepsy and neurological deficit to death. Cellular damage post insult occurs after a delay and is mediated by a secondary neural energy failure. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a sensor of cellular stress resulting from ATP depletion and/...

Whether the well-known metabolic switch AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is involved in the insulin-sensitizing effect of calorie restriction (CR) is unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of AMPK in the insulin-sensitizing effect of CR in skeletal muscle. Wild-type (WT) and AMPK-α2(-/-) mice received ad libitum (AL) or CR (8 weeks at 60% of AL) feeding. CR increased the protein le...

Metformin is widely used to treat hyperglycemia in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Recently the LKB1/AMP-activated protein kinase (LKB1/AMPK) pathway was proposed to mediate the action of metformin on hepatic gluconeogenesis. However, the molecular mechanism by which this pathway operates had remained elusive. Surprisingly, here we have found that in mice lacking AMPK in the liver, blood gluc...

Abstract Sensory perception and metabolic homeostasis are known to deteriorate with ageing, impairing the health of aged animals, while mechanisms underlying their deterioration remain poorly understood. The potential interplay between declining sensory impaired metabolism during ageing is also barely explored. Here, we report that intraflagellar transport (IFT) in cilia neurons nematode Caenor...

The AMP-protein kinase (AMPK) pathway is very versatile as it regulates cellular energetic homeostasis in many different tissue types. An appreciation for the importance of AMPK signalling and regulation in cardiovascular and tumor biology is increasing. Recently, a link has been established between anti-cancer therapy and susceptibility to cardiac disease. It has been shown that some anti-canc...

This study was intended to assess the effect of Gymnema sylvestre leaf extract on AMPK-GLUT4 mediated signalling pathway insulin resistance in polycystic ovarian syndrome-induced rats. For induction PCOS rats, 1 mg/kg letrozole given orally for 21 days, after that metformin (300 mg/kg), (200 mg/kg, and 400 p. o.) were administered further 28 days. Letrozole-induced rats illustrated significant ...