We investigated the mechanism by which a selective increase in arterial insulin can suppress hepatic glucose production in vivo. Isotopic (3-3H-glucose) and arteriovenous difference methods were used in overnight-fasted, conscious dogs. A pancreatic clamp (somatostatin, basal portal insulin, and glucagon infusions) was used to control the endocrine pancreas. Equilibration (100 min) and basal (40 min) periods were followed by a 180-min test period. In control dogs (n = 5), basal insulin delivery was continued throughout the study. In the other two groups, peripheral insulin was selectively increased at the beginning of the test period by stopping the portal insulin infusion and infusing insulin peripherally at twice the basal portal rate. One group (INS + FAT; n = 6) received an infusion of 20% intralipid + heparin (0.5 U · kg−1 · min−1) to clamp the nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) levels during hyperinsulinemia; the other group (INS; n = 7) received only saline during the experimental period. In the INS group, a selective increase in peripheral insulin of 84 pmol/l was achieved (36 ± 6 to 120 ± 24 pmol/l, last 30 min) while portal insulin was unaltered (84 ± 18 pmol/l). In the INS + FAT group, a similar increase in peripheral insulin was achieved (36 ± 6 to 114 ± 6 pmol/l, last 30 min); again, portal insulin was unaltered (96 ± 12 pmol/l). In the control group, basal insulin did not change. Glucagon and glucose remained near basal values in all protocols. In the INS group, NEFA levels dropped from 700 ± 90 (basal) to 230 ± 65 μmol/l (last 30 min; P > 0.05), but in the INS + FAT group changed minimally (723 ± 115 [basal] to 782 ± 125 μmol/l [last 30 min]). In the INS group, net hepatic glucose output dropped by 6.7 μmol · kg−1 · min−1 (P < 0.05), whereas in the INS + FAT group it dropped by 3.9 μmol · kg−1 · min−1 (P < 0.05). When insulin levels were not increased (i.e., in the control group), net hepatic glucose output dropped 1.7 μmol · kg−1 · min−1 (P , 0.05). In all groups, the net hepatic glucose output data were confirmed by the tracer-determined glucose production data. In the INS group, net hepatic gluconeogenic substrate uptake (alanine, glutamine, glutamate, glycerol, glycine, lactate, threonine, and serine) fell slightly (10.4 ± 1.3 [basal] to 7.2 ± 1.3 μmol · kg−1 · min−1 [last 30 min]), whereas in the INS + FAT group it did not change (7.3 ±1.5 [basal] to 7.4 ± 0.6 μmol · kg−1 · min−1 [last 30 min]), and in the control group it increased slightly (9.6 ± 1.3 [basal] to 10.3 ± 1.4 μmol · kg−1 · min−1 [last 30 min]). These results indicate that peripheral insulin's ability to regulate hepatic glucose production is partially linked to its inhibition of lipolysis. When plasma NEFA levels were prevented from falling during a selective arterial hyperinsulinemia, ∼55% of insulin%s inhibition of net hepatic glucose output (NHGO) was eliminated. The fall in NEFA levels brings about a redirection of glycogenolytically derived carbon within the hepatocyte such that there is an increase in lactate efflux and a corresponding decrease in NHGO.
Exercise is an effective intervention to treat fatty liver. However, the mechanism(s) that underlie exercise-induced reductions in fatty liver are unclear. Here we tested the hypothesis that exercise requires hepatic glucagon action to reduce fatty liver.C57BL/6 mice were fed high-fat diet (HFD) and assessed using magnetic resonance, biochemical, and histological techniques to establish a timeline for fatty liver development over 20 weeks. Glucagon receptor null (gcgr(-/-)) and wild-type (gcgr(+/+)) littermate mice were subsequently fed HFD to provoke moderate fatty liver and then performed either 10 or 6 weeks of running wheel or treadmill exercise, respectively.Exercise reverses progression of HFD-induced fatty liver in gcgr(+/+) mice. Remarkably, such changes are absent in gcgr(-/-) mice, thus confirming the hypothesis that exercise-stimulated hepatic glucagon receptor activation is critical to reduce HFD-induced fatty liver.These findings suggest that therapies that use antagonism of hepatic glucagon action to reduce blood glucose may interfere with the ability of exercise and perhaps other interventions to positively affect fatty liver.
Summary Preterm infant formulas (PIFs) for very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants (birth weight, <1,500 g) are augmented to provide daily riboflavin and pyridoxine at levels up to five-fold greater than in term infant formula and 18-fold greater than in human milk. We evaluated plasma riboflavin and pyridoxine concentrations in VLBW infants who received PIF during their first postnatal month. Eighty-eight plasma and 124 urine samples were collected for riboflavin- and pyridoxine-concentration measurements from 57 clinically healthy VLBW infants weekly during their first postnatal month. Concentrations were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography. At the time of the sample, patients were receiving ≥80% of their total calories via enteral feedings. Plasma riboflavin concentrations rose from 45.3 ± 7.3 ng/ml at baseline (mean ± SEM) to 173.5 ± 20.3 ng/ml by 1 week of age and remained at 177.3-199.7 ng/ml during the following three weekly measurements; values were up to 14-fold above baseline concentration. Urine riboflavin concentration increased from 534 ± 137 ng/ml at baseline to 3,521 ± 423 ng/ml by 1 week of age and remained at 4,451-5,216 ng/ml during the next 3 weeks. In a similar pattern, baseline plasma (69.4 ± 10.4 ng/ml) and urine (145 ± 30 ng/ml) pyridoxine concentrations were significantly increased by 1 week postnatal age; they remained at 163-248 ng/ml (plasma) and 1,573-2,394 ng/ml (urine) through the first postnatal month. Plasma and urine riboflavin and pyridoxine concentrations in enterally fed VLBW infants increased from baseline concentrations by 1 week of postnatal age and remained elevated for the first postnatal month. High daily intake and immature renal development are probable contributing causes of the elevated plasma riboflavin and pyridoxine concentrations. We suggest that lower daily enteral administration of riboflavin and pyridoxine should maintain adequate blood concentrations and minimize potential toxicity.
PAVLOU, SPYROS N.; BREWER, KIM; FARLEY, M. GINNIE; LINDNER, JILL; BASTIAS, MARIA-CRISTINA; ROGERS, B. JANE; SWIFT, LARRY L.; RIVIER, JEAN E.; VALE, WYLIE W.; CONN, P. MICHAEL; HERBERT, CARL M. Author Information
ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVArticleNEXTDiscovery and electron spin resonance spectra of matrix-stabilized hydronium radicals H3O and D3OThomas Waring Martin and L. L. SwiftCite this: J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1971, 93, 11, 2788–2790Publication Date (Print):June 1, 1971Publication History Published online1 May 2002Published inissue 1 June 1971https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ja00740a038https://doi.org/10.1021/ja00740a038research-articleACS PublicationsRequest reuse permissionsArticle Views73Altmetric-Citations28LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InRedditEmail Other access optionsGet e-Alertsclose Get e-Alerts
Lipid droplets are intracellular energy storage organelles composed of a hydrophobic core of neutral lipid, surrounded by a monolayer of phospholipid and a diverse array of proteins. The function of the vast majority of these proteins with regard to the formation and/or turnover of lipid droplets is unknown. Our laboratory was the first to report that microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP), a lipid transfer protein essential for the assembly of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, was expressed in adipose tissue of humans and mice. In addition, our studies suggested that MTP was associated with lipid droplets in both brown and white fat. Our observations led us to hypothesize that MTP plays a key role in lipid droplet formation and/or turnover. The objective of these studies was to gain insight into the function of MTP in adipocytes. Using molecular, biochemical, and morphologic approaches we have shown: 1) MTP protein levels increase nearly five-fold as 3T3-L1 cells differentiate into adipocytes. 2) As 3T3-L1 cells undergo differentiation, MTP moves from the juxtanuclear region of the cell to the surface of lipid droplets. MTP and perilipin 2, a major lipid droplet surface protein, are found on the same droplets; however, MTP does not co-localize with perilipin 2. 3) Inhibition of MTP activity has no effect on the movement of triglyceride out of the cell either as a lipid complex or via lipolysis. 4) MTP is found associated with lipid droplets within hepatocytes from human fatty livers, suggesting that association of MTP with lipid droplets is not restricted to adipocytes. In summary, our data demonstrate that MTP is a lipid droplet-associated protein. Its location on the surface of the droplet in adipocytes and hepatocytes, coupled with its known function as a lipid transfer protein and its increased expression during adipocyte differentiation suggest a role in lipid droplet biology.
AbstractTerm infants and children appear to adapt to large variations in vitamin intakes. This is supported by the finding of similar blood levels of vitamins despite several-fold differences in intake on a body weight basis. By contrast, the finding of marked elevation of some vitamins and low levels of others seen in very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants (less than 1500 g) suggest that this group has less adaptive capacity to high- or low-dose intakes. This indicates that their vitamin intakes need to be more closely aligned with actual needs. This paper reviews previously published data on vitamins A, E, B2, and B6 from VLBW infants receiving total parenteral nutrition (TPN). Vitamin A. VLBW infants are relatively deficient in retinol (R) at birth. During TPN large losses of R onto the delivery sets result in a further decline in stores of R as reflected in a progressive decline in plasma R during TPN. Because of the reported lower incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia associated with intramuscular vitamin A treatment, alternative methods of vitamin A delivery during TPN have been suggested. First, the vitamins were mixed with Intralipid (IL) and, second, retinyl palmitate (RP) rather than R was used. There was little in vitro loss of R when mixed with IL, and in vivo treatment resulted in higher blood levels after 1 month of retinol administration in IL than seen previously (21.4 +/− 4.2 vs 14.1 +/− 3.7 micrograms/dl).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Elevated levels of cholesterol synthesis are reported for several young children with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HFH) and are considered to contribute directly to their hypercholesterolemia. In contrast, increased cholesterol production has not previously been found in adult patients with HFH. Using the fecal steroid balance technique, we studied rates of cholesterol and bile acid synthesis in a 24-yr-old man who had severe hypercholesterolemia typical of HFH and who lacked skin fibroblast low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor activity. On an average diet (45% carbohydrate, 40% fat, 15% protein) mean +/- SEM cholesterol (24.8 +/- 1.4 mg/kg per d) and bile acid (11.1 +/- 1.6 mg/kg per d) excretion were approximately threefold higher than normal. When an isocaloric high carbohydrate, low fat diet (90.5% glucose oligosaccharides, 1.3% safflower oil, 8.2% crystalline amino acids was substituted, mean cholesterol (13.0 +/- 0.5 mg/kg per d) and bile acid (8.6 +/- 0.4 mg/kg per d) fell markedly. The decline in fecal steroid excretion was accompanied by modest reductions in plasma total and LDL cholesterol concentrations and by a softening of cutaneous xanthomata. Although the patient phenotypically and biochemically resembled the HFH state, his family pedigree was not noteable for hypercholesterolemia. While the patient's father had premature cardiovascular disease, his mother had no evidence of heart disease, had normal plasma total and LDL cholesterol levels, and had normal fibroblast LDL receptor activity. Likewise, the plasma cholesterol levels of three other members of the patient's family were normal. Despite the unusual genotypic background of this individual, however, the fecal balance data shows that elevated cholesterol and bile acid synthesis may occur in adult, as well as juvenile, patients with HFH and may be responsive to dietary control.
