Recent evidence has been presented that expression of lipogenic genes is downregulated in adipose tissue of ob/ob mice as well as in human obesity, suggesting a functionally lipoatrophic state. Using (2)H(2)O labeling, we measured three adipose tissue biosynthetic processes concurrently: triglyceride (TG) synthesis, palmitate de novo lipogenesis (DNL), and cell proliferation (adipogenesis). To ...

In order to examine the role of the pituitary in the obese-hyperglycemic syndrome, obese (ob/ob) and nonobese sibling (OB/?) mice were sham-operated or hypophysectomized by a parapharyngeal method at 60 to 90 days of age and subsequently weighed for nine weeks. Completeness of hypophysectomy was assessed by microscopic examination of stained serial sections of the brain and attached hypophyseal...

Hart, H. A., Azain, M. J., Hausman, G. J., Reeves, D. E. and Barb, C. R. 2007. Failure of short-term feed-restriction to affect luteinizing hormone and leptin secretion or subcutaneous adipose tissue expression of leptin in the prepuberal gilt. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 87: 191–197. Previously we reported that 24-h fast increased serum non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) concentrations, and decreased le...

Obesity induces local/systemic inflammation accompanied by increases in macrophage infiltration into adipose tissue and production of inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and hormones. Previous studies have shown that probiotics could improve the intestinal dysbiosis induced by metabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Microorganisms could (directly or indirectly) aff...

Patients with diabetes and obesity are at increased risk of developing disturbances in intestinal function. In this study, we characterized jejunal function in the clinically relevant leptin-deficient ob/ob mouse, a model of diabetes and obesity. We measured transepithelial short circuit current (Isc), across freshly isolated segments of jejunum from 12-week-old ob/ob and lean C57BL/6J (female ...

The orexigenic hormone ghrelin is important in diabetes because it has an inhibitory effect on insulin secretion. Ghrelin ablation in leptin-deficient ob/ob (Ghrelin(-/-):ob/ob) mice increases insulin secretion and improves hyperglycemia. The physiologically relevant ghrelin receptor is the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R), and GHS-R antagonists are thought to be an effective strate...