Background & purpose Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterised by the excessive accumulation of triglycerides in liver. Shenling Baizhu powder (SLBZP) formulated from various natural medicinal plants that protect and are used to treat intestinal diseases. SLBZP improves symptoms NAFLD. However, its mechanism action remains unclear. Herein, we investigated ameliorative e...

The cell intrinsic innate immune responses provide a first line of defense against viral infection, and often function by targeting cellular pathways usurped by the virus during infection. In particular, many viruses manipulate cellular lipids to form complex structures required for viral replication, many of which are dependent on de novo fatty acid synthesis. We found that the energy regulato...

Berberine is a plant alkaloid with anti-diabetic action. Activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway has been proposed as mechanism for berberine's action. This study aimed to examine whether AMPK activation was necessary for berberine's glucose-lowering effect. We found that in HepG2 hepatocytes and C2C12 myotubes, berberine significantly increased glucose consumption and lactate...

AMPK is a serine/threonine protein kinase that acts as a positive regulator of autophagy, by phosphorylating ULK1 at specific sites. A previous study demonstrated activation of the macroautophagic system in scrapie-infected experimental rodents and in certain human prion diseases, in which the essential negative regulator mTOR is severely inhibited. In this study, AMPK and ULK1 in the brains of...

Neural vascular insufficiency plays an important role in diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). Peroxisome proliferative-activated receptor (PPAR)α has an endothelial protective effect related to activation of PPARγ coactivator (PGC)-1α and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), but its role in DPN is unknown. We investigated whether fenofibrate would improve DPN associated with endothelial ...

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common type of cancer among men over 60 years old. The aggressiveness and mortality of PCa can be correlated with obesity. Adipose tissue-derived cytokines such as adiponectin may explain the correlation between PCa and obesity. Since the correlation between adiponectin and aggressive PCa is still not fully evaluated, we aimed to investigate the probable role o...

Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a cellular energy sensor activated during stress that plays key role in maintaining homeostasis. This ubiquitous signaling pathway has been implicated multiple functions including mitochondrial biogenesis, redox regulation, cell growth and proliferation, autophagy inflammation. The protective of AMPK cardiovascular function the involvem...

Sperm require high levels of energy to ensure motility and acrosome reaction (AR) accomplishment. The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has been demonstrated to be strongly involved in the control of these properties. We address here the question of the potential role of calcium mobilization on AMPK activation and function in chicken sperm through the Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinas...

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a rare and fatal tumor. In previous decades, there has been a steady increase in the incidence and mortality rates of this tumor worldwide. Metastasis is regarded as the major factor that contributes to poor prognosis in CCA patients. Studies therefore aim to develop novel therapeutic targets to control CCA metastasis. Fyn is known to enhance expression and promote m...

Obesity in combination with diabetes and hypertension likely is contributing to the increasing incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the 21st century worldwide and requires novel insights and strategies for treatment. There is an increasing recognition that the kidney has an important role in the complex inter-organ communication that occurs with the development of inflammation and fibro...