Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0020538 (hypertension)
 170,190 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Insulin resistance is a key pathophysiologic feature of obesity and type 2 diabetes and is associated with other human diseases, including atherosclerosis, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and polycystic ovarian disease. Yet, the specific cellular defects that cause insulin resistance are not precisely known. Insulin receptor substrate (IRS) proteins are important signaling molecules that mediate insulin action in insulin-sensitive cells. Recently, serine phosphorylation of IRS proteins has been implicated in attenuating insulin signaling and is thought to be a potential mechanism for insulin resistance. However, in vivo increased serine phosphorylation of IRS proteins in insulin-resistant animal models has not been reported before. In the present study, we have confirmed previous findings in both JCR:LA-cp and Zucker fatty rats, two genetically unrelated insulin-resistant rodent models, that an enhanced serine kinase activity in liver is associated with insulin resistance. The enhanced serine kinase specifically phosphorylates the conserved Ser(789) residue in IRS-1, which is in a sequence motif separate from the ones for MAPK, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, glycogen-synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3), Akt, phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase, or casein kinase. It is similar to the phosphorylation motif for AMP-activated protein kinase, but the serine kinase in the insulin-resistant animals was shown not to be an AMP-activated protein kinase, suggesting a potential novel serine kinase. Using a specific antibody against Ser(P)(789) peptide of IRS-1, we then demonstrated for the first time a striking increase of Ser(789)-phosphorylated IRS-1 in livers of insulin-resistant rodent models, indicating enhanced serine kinase activity in vivo. Taken together, these data strongly suggest that unknown serine kinase activity and Ser(789) phosphorylation of IRS-1 may play an important role in attenuating insulin signaling in insulin-resistant animal models.
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PMID:In vivo phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate 1 at serine 789 by a novel serine kinase in insulin-resistant rodents. 1200 86

The insulin resistance syndrome is characterized by several risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Chronic chemical activation of AMP-activated protein kinase by the adenosine analog 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-beta -D-ribofuranoside (AICAR) has been shown to augment insulin action, upregulate mitochondrial enzymes in skeletal muscles, and decrease the content of intra-abdominal fat. Furthermore, acute AICAR exposure has been found to reduce sterol and fatty acid synthesis in rat hepatocytes incubated in vitro as well as suppress endogenous glucose production in rats under euglycemic clamp conditions. To investigate whether chronic AICAR administration, in addition to the beneficial effects on insulin sensitivity, is capable of improving other phenotypes associated with the insulin resistance syndrome, obese Zucker (fa/fa) rats (n = 6) exhibiting insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension were subcutaneously injected with AICAR (0.5 mg/g body wt) daily for 7 weeks. Obese control rats were either pair-fed (PF) (n = 6) or ad libitum-fed (AL) (n = 6). Lean Zucker rats (fa/-) (n = 8) served as a reference group. AICAR administration significantly reduced plasma triglyceride levels (P < 0.01 for AICAR vs. AL, and P = 0.05 for AICAR vs. PF) and free fatty acids (P < 0.01 for AICAR vs. AL, and P < 0.05 for AICAR vs. PF) and increased HDL cholesterol levels (P < 0.01 for AICAR vs. AL and PF). AICAR treatment also lowered systolic blood pressure by 14.6 +/- 4.3 mmHg (P < 0.05), and AICAR-treated animals exhibited a tendency toward decreased intra-abdominal fat content. Furthermore, AICAR administration normalized the oral glucose tolerance test and decreased fasting concentrations of glucose and insulin close to the level of the lean animals. Finally, in line with previous findings, AICAR treatment was also found to enhance GLUT4 protein expression and to increase maximally insulin-stimulated glucose transport in primarily white fast-twitch muscles. Our data provide strong evidence that long-term administration of AICAR improves glucose tolerance, improves the lipid profile, and reduces systolic blood pressure in an insulin-resistant animal model. The present study gives additional support to the hypothesis that AMPK activation might be a potential future pharmacological strategy for treating the insulin resistance syndrome.
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PMID:Long-term AICAR administration reduces metabolic disturbances and lowers blood pressure in rats displaying features of the insulin resistance syndrome. 1208 50

Glycolysis increases in hypertrophied hearts but the mechanisms are unknown. We studied the regulation of glycolysis in hearts with pressure-overload LV hypertrophy (LVH), a model that showed marked increases in the rates of glycolysis (by 2-fold) and insulin-independent glucose uptake (by 3-fold). Although the V(max) of the key glycolytic enzymes was unchanged in this model, concentrations of free ADP, free AMP, inorganic phosphate (P(i)), and fructose-2,6-bisphosphate (F-2,6-P2), all activators of the rate-limiting enzyme phosphofructokinase (PFK), were increased (up to 10-fold). Concentrations of the inhibitors of PFK, ATP, citrate, and H+ were unaltered in LVH. Thus, our findings show that increased glucose entry and activation of the rate-limiting enzyme PFK both contribute to increased flux through the glycolytic pathway in hypertrophied hearts. Moreover, our results also suggest that these changes can be explained by increased intracellular free [ADP] and [AMP], due to decreased energy reserve in LVH, activating the AMP-activated protein kinase cascade. This, in turn, results in enhanced synthesis of F-2,6-P2 and increased sarcolemma localization of glucose transporters, leading to coordinated increases in glucose transport and activation of PFK.
Hypertension 2004 Nov
PMID:Mechanisms for increased glycolysis in the hypertrophied rat heart. 1545 32

Obesity shortens life expectancy and is a risk factor for hypertension and Type 2 diabetes. When added to the standard chow of Sprague-Dawley or Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty rats, alpha-lipoic acid (0.5% weight/weight) reduced body weight and food intake. Alpha-lipoic acid also increased whole-body energy expenditure. It exerts its effects by suppressing hypothalamic AMP-activated protein kinase. Long-term studies to determine whether these anti-obesity effects are maintained in animals are required before alpha-lipoic acid is considered for clinical trial in human obesity.
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PMID:Alpha-lipoic acid, an anti-obesity agent? 1556 20

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is tightly regulated by the cellular AMP:ATP ratio and plays a central role in regulation of energy homeostasis and metabolic stress. Metformin has been shown to activate AMPK. We hypothesized that metformin may prevent nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation in endothelial cells exposed to inflammatory cytokines. Metformin was observed to activate AMPK, as well as its downstream target, phosphoacetyl coenzyme A carboxylase, in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Metformin also dose-dependently inhibited tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha-induced NF-kappaB activation and TNF-alpha-induced IkappaB kinase activity. Furthermore, metformin attenuated the TNF-alpha-induced gene expression of various proinflammatory and cell adhesion molecules, such as vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, E-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, in HUVECs. A pharmacological activator of AMPK, 5-amino-4-imidazole carboxamide riboside (AICAR), dose-dependently inhibited TNF-alpha- and interleukin-1beta-induced NF-kappaB reporter gene expression. AICAR also suppressed the TNF-alpha- and interleukin-1beta-induced gene expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, E-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in HUVECs. The small interfering RNA for AMPKalpha1 attenuated metformin or AICAR-induced inhibition of NF-kappaB activation by TNF-alpha, suggesting a possible role of AMPK in the regulation of cell inflammation. In light of these findings, we suggest that metformin attenuates the cytokine-induced expression of proinflammatory and adhesion molecule genes by inhibiting NF-kappaB activation via AMPK activation. Thus, it might be useful to target AMPK signaling in future efforts to prevent atherogenic and inflammatory vascular disease.
Hypertension 2006 Jun
PMID:Metformin inhibits cytokine-induced nuclear factor kappaB activation via AMP-activated protein kinase activation in vascular endothelial cells. 1663 95

NK cells are a key component of innate immune systems, and their activity is regulated by cytokines and hormones. Adiponectin, which is secreted from white adipose tissues, plays important roles in various diseases, including hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, inflammatory disorders, and cancer. In this study the effect of adiponectin on NK cell activity was investigated. Adiponectin was found to suppress the IL-2-enhanced cytotoxic activity of NK cells without affecting basal NK cell cytotoxicity and to inhibit IL-2-induced NF-kappaB activation via activation of the AMP-activated protein kinase, indicating that it suppresses IL-2-enhanced NK cell cytotoxicity through the AMP-activated protein kinase-mediated inhibition of NF-kappaB activation. IFN-gamma enhances NK cell cytotoxicity by causing an increase in the levels of expression of TRAIL and Fas ligand. The production of IFN-gamma, one of the NF-kappaB target genes in NK cells, was also found to be suppressed by adiponectin, accompanied by the subsequent down-regulation of IFN-gamma-inducible TRAIL and Fas ligand expression. These results clearly demonstrate that adiponectin is a potent negative regulator of IL-2-induced NK cell activation and thus may act as an in vivo regulator of anti-inflammatory functions.
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PMID:Adiponectin is a negative regulator of NK cell cytotoxicity. 1667 Mar 4

Obesity is strongly associated with the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Levels of the hormone adiponectin are downregulated in obese individuals, and several experimental studies show that adiponectin protects against the development of various obesity-related metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. Adiponectin exhibits favorable effects on atherogenesis, endothelial function, and vascular remodeling by modulation of signaling cascades in cells of the vasculature. More recent findings have shown that adiponectin directly affects signaling in cardiac cells and is beneficial in the setting of pathological cardiac remodeling and acute cardiac injury. Several of these effects of adiponectin have been attributed to the activation of the 5' AMP-activated protein kinase signaling cascade and other signaling proteins. This review will discuss the epidemiological and experimental studies that have elucidated the role of adiponectin in a variety of cardiovascular diseases.
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PMID:Adiponectin actions in the cardiovascular system. 1714 May 53

Metabolic syndrome is characterized by a cluster of metabolic disorders, such as reduced glucose tolerance, hyperinsulinemia, hypertension, visceral obesity and lipid disorders. The benefit of exercise in maintaining total metabolic control is well known and recent research indicates that AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) may play an important role in exercise-related effects. AMPK is considered as a master switch in regulating glucose and lipid metabolism. AMPK is an enzyme that works as a fuel gauge, being activated in conditions of high phosphate depletion. In the liver, activation of AMPK results in decreased production of plasma glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride and enhanced fatty acid oxidation. AMPK is also robustly activated by skeletal muscle contraction and myocardial ischemia, and is involved in the stimulation of glucose transport and fatty acid oxidation by these stimuli. In adipose tissue, activated AMPK inhibits deposition of fat, but enhances breakdown and burning of stored fat, resulting in reduction of body weight. The two leading diabetic drugs, namely metformin and rosiglitazone, and adipokines, such as adiponectin and leptin, show their metabolic effects partially through AMPK. These data suggest that AMPK may be a key player in the development of new treatments for obesity, Type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome. In this review, the author provide insight into the role of AMPK as a probable target for treatment of metabolic syndrome.
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PMID:AMP activated protein kinase: a next generation target for total metabolic control. 1807 73

Metabolic syndrome accelerates the atherosclerotic process, and the earliest event of which is endothelial dysfunction. Ghrelin, a newly discovered gastric peptide, improves endothelial function and inhibits proatherogenic changes. In particular, low ghrelin concentration has been associated with several features of metabolic syndrome, including obesity, insulin resistance, and high blood pressure. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying ghrelin vascular actions remain largely unclear. Here, we showed that ghrelin activated endothelial nitric oxide (NO) synthase (eNOS) in cultured endothelial cells (ECs) and in intact vessels. Specifically, ghrelin rapidly induced phosphorylation of eNOS on an activation site and production of NO in human umbilical vein ECs and bovine aortic ECs. The eNOS phosphorylation was also observed in mouse aortas ex vivo perfused with ghrelin and in aortic tissues isolated from mice injected with ghrelin. Mechanistically, ghrelin stimulated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and Akt activation in cultured ECs and intact vessels. Inhibiting AMPK and Akt with their pharmacological inhibitors, small interference RNA and adenoviruses carried dominant-negative mutants, markedly attenuated ghrelin-induced eNOS activation, and NO production. Furthermore, ghrelin receptor/Gq protein/calcium-dependent pathway mediates activation of AMPK, Akt, and eNOS, and calmodulin-dependent kinase kinase is a potential convergent point to regulate Akt and AMPK activation in ghrelin signaling. Importantly, eNOS activation is critical for ghrelin inhibition of vascular inflammation. Together, both in vitro and in vivo data demonstrate a new role of ghrelin signaling for eNOS activation, and highlight the therapeutic potential for ghrelin to correct endothelial dysfunction associated with atherosclerotic vascular diseases and metabolic syndrome.
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PMID:Molecular mechanisms of ghrelin-mediated endothelial nitric oxide synthase activation. 1845 Sep 53

Resveratrol is a natural polyphenolic stilbene derivative found in several human diet components that possess important and wide-ranging effects in biological systems including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, cardio-protective, and anti-ageing actions and beneficial properties against metabolic diseases. This study addresses the effects of long-term administration of resveratrol on several functional alterations arising from the metabolic syndrome experimental model of obese Zucker rats, and the possible mechanisms involved. The high plasma concentrations of triglycerides, total cholesterol, free fatty acids, insulin and leptin found in obese Zucker rats were reduced in obese rats that received resveratrol. Furthermore, the elevated hepatic lipid content was significantly lower in obese rats treated with resveratrol, an effect which was related to the increased phosphorylation of 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) in the liver of these animals. Resveratrol treatment also improved the inflammatory status peculiar to this model, as it increased the concentration of adiponectin and lowered tumor necrosis factor-alpha production in the visceral adipose tissue (VAT) of obese Zucker rats. Moreover, chronic intake of resveratrol enhanced VAT eNOS expression among obese Zucker rats. These effects parallel the activation of AMPK and inhibition by phosphorylation of ACC in this tissue. The raised systolic blood pressure and reduced aortic eNOS expression found in obese Zucker rats were significantly improved in the resveratrol-treated obese rats. In conclusion, resveratrol improved dyslipidemia, hyperinsulinemia, hyperleptinemia and hypertension in obese Zucker rats, and produced anti-inflammatory effects in VAT, effects that seem to be mediated by AMPK activation.
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PMID:Long-term resveratrol administration reduces metabolic disturbances and lowers blood pressure in obese Zucker rats. 1910 Jul 18


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