Chronic alcoholic liver disease is associated with hepatic insulin resistance, inflammation, oxidative and ER stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and DNA damage. Peroxisome-proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) agonists are insulin sensitizers that have anti-inflammatory/anti-oxidant effects. We previously showed that PPAR agonists can restore hepatic insulin responsiveness in chronic ethanol-f...

Background: Epidemiologic studies and animal model experiments have shown that parasites have significant modulatory effects on autoimmune disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Recombinant Sj16 (rSj16), a 16-kDa secreted protein of Schistosoma japonicum (S.japonicum) produced by Escherichia coli (E. coli), has been shown to have immunoregulatory effects in vivo and in vitro. In...

A large body of evidence has indicated that induction of endogenous antioxidative proteins seems to be a reasonable strategy for delaying the progression of cell injury. In our previous study, cilostazol was found to increase the expression of the antioxidant enzyme heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in synovial cells. Thus, the present study was undertaken to examine whether cilostazol is able to counter...

Excessive accumulation of carcass fat in farm animals, including fish, has a significant impact on meat quality and on the cost of feeding. Similar to farmed animals and humans, the liver can be considered one of the most important organs involved in lipid metabolism in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). RNA-seq based whole transcriptome sequencing was performed to liver tissue of rainbow tro...

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are ligand-activated transcription factors of nuclear hormone receptor superfamily comprising of the following three subtypes: PPARα, PPARγ, and PPARβ/δ. Activation of PPAR-α reduces triglyceride level and is involved in regulation of energy homeostasis. Activation of PPAR-γ causes insulin sensitization and enhances glucose metabolism, whereas...

Trypanosoma cruzi induces serious cardiac alterations during the chronic infection. Intense inflammatory response observed from the beginning of infection, is critical for the control of parasite proliferation and evolution of Chagas disease. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR)-α, are known to modulate inflammation. In this study we investigated whether a PPAR-α agonist, Fenofibr...

BACKGROUND In insulin-resistance, VLDL presents alterations that increase its atherogenic potential. The mechanism by which insulin-resistance promotes the production of altered VLDL is still not completely understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the expression of sterol regulatory element binding protein 1c (SREBP-1c) and of peroxisome proliferator-activated ...

Aim. Sang-qi Granula (SQ) is a compound prepared from Chinese herbs and is currently used for treatment of hypertension in China. Given its protective effects on cardial function in decreasing blood pressure, we investigated the mechanism of protective effects of SQ on myocardium. Methods. 16 male normal Wistar-Kyoto rats and 16 spontaneous hypertension rats (SHR) were employed without medical ...

High fructose consumption is associated with insulin resistance and diabetic dyslipidemia, but the underlying mechanism is unclear. We show in hamsters that high fructose feeding stimulated FoxO1 production and promoted its nuclear redistribution in liver, correlating with augmented apoC-III production and impaired triglyceride metabolism. High fructose feeding upregulated PGC-1β and SREBP-1c e...

Uncoupling proteins (UCPs) are members of the mitochondrial anion carrier superfamily involved in the control of body temperature and energy balance regulation. They are currently proposed as therapeutic targets for treating obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS). We studied the gene expression regulation of UCP1, -2, and -3 in abdominal white adipose tissue (WAT) from control and MetS rats trea...