UMLS:C0028754 - FACTA Search

Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts: Target Concepts:

Query: UMLS:C0028754 (obesity)
124,988 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Alcoholic liver disease is a major cause of illness and death in the United States. In the initial stages of the disease, fat accumulation in hepatocytes leads to the development of fatty liver (steatosis), which is a reversible condition. If alcohol consumption is continued, steatosis may progress to hepatitis and fibrosis, which may lead to liver cirrhosis. Alcoholic fatty liver has long been considered benign; however, increasing evidence supports the idea that it is a pathologic condition. Blunting of the accumulation of fat within the liver during alcohol consumption may block or delay the progression of fatty liver to hepatitis and fibrosis. To achieve this goal, it is important to understand the underlying biochemical and molecular mechanisms by which chronic alcohol consumption leads to fat accumulation in the liver and fatty liver progresses to hepatitis and fibrosis. In addition to alcohol consumption, dietary fatty acids and obesity have been shown to affect the degree of fat accumulation within the liver. Again, it is important to know how these factors modulate the progression of alcoholic liver disease. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health, sponsored a symposium on "Role of Fatty Liver, Dietary Fatty Acid Supplements, and Obesity in the Progression of Alcoholic Liver Disease" in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, October 2003. The following is a summary of the symposium. Alcoholic fatty liver is a pathologic condition that may predispose the liver to further injury (hepatitis and fibrosis) by cytochrome P450 2E1 induction, free radical generation, lipid peroxidation, nuclear factor-kappa B activation, and increased transcription of proinflammatory mediators, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha. Increased acetaldehyde production and lipopolysaccharide-induced Kupffer cell activation may further exacerbate liver injury. Acetaldehyde may promote hepatic fat accumulation by impairing the ability of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha to bind DNA, and by increasing the synthesis of sterol regulatory binding protein-1. Unsaturated fatty acids (corn oil, fish oil) exacerbate alcoholic liver injury by accentuating oxidative stress, whereas saturated fatty acids are protective. Polyenylphosphatidylcholine may prevent liver injury by down-regulating cytochrome P450 2E1 activity, attenuating oxidative stress, reducing the number of activated hepatic stellate cells, and up-regulating collagenase activity. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis may develop through several mechanisms, such as oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and associated impaired fat metabolism, dysregulated cytokine metabolism, insulin resistance, and altered methionine/S-adenosylmethionine/homocysteine metabolism. Obesity (adipose tissue) may contribute to the development of alcoholic liver disease by generating free radicals, increasing tumor necrosis factor-alpha production, inducing insulin resistance, and producing fibrogenic agents, such as angiotensin II, norepinephrine, neuropeptide Y, and leptin. Finally, alcoholic fatty liver transplant failure may be linked to oxidative stress. In vitro treatment of fatty livers with interleukin-6 may render allografts safer for clinical transplantation.
...
PMID:Role of fatty liver, dietary fatty acid supplements, and obesity in the progression of alcoholic liver disease: introduction and summary of the symposium. 1567 Jun 59

Rates of type 2 diabetes mellitus are increasing worldwide at an explosive rate. This "epidemic" is largely driven by a concomitant obesity epidemic, which is seen not only in affluent countries, but in industrializing countries as well, concomitant with the rapid change toward Western life-style patterns worldwide. Recent clinical trials such as Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation (HOPE), Losartan Intervention for Endpoint reduction (LIFE), and Study of Cognition and Prognosis in the Elderly (SCOPE) have indicated that blocking the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus. This effect may be explained by a variety of diabetogenic factors, which seem to be moderated by angiotensin II, such as free fatty acids (FFA) and the phenomena of adipocyte differentiation, as well as inflammation and oxidative damage. Insulin resistance, usually present in cases of impaired glucose tolerance, is the major identifiable defect in subjects at risk for type 2 diabetes. Elevated FFA levels result in reduced activation of phosphoinositol-3 kinase, an enzyme that is essential for normal insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. This reduction is potentiated by angiotensin II and consequently insulin-stimulated glucose uptake is improved by RAS inhibition. Furthermore, blockade of the angiotensin II AT(1)-receptor has been shown to stimulate the differentiation of adipocytes that store FFAs, which leads to reduced plasma FFA levels and decreased insulin resistance. There are also data suggesting that AT(1)-receptor blockade reduces inflammatory activation and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), a major factor in the pathophysiology of diabetes and a major cardiovascular risk factor. Both proinflammatory molecules and ROS increase the risk of insulin resistance and atherogenesis. It is thought that FFAs and hyperglycemia increase ROS production and oxidative stress, leading to the activation of signaling molecules such as nuclear factor kappa-B and other mediators of stress-sensitive pathways, which increases insulin resistance and will lead to beta-cell dysfunction and diabetic complications during the longer term. Inhibiting the RAS seems to have an effect on several steps in this cascade. There is an obvious need for large-scale clinical trials specifically designed to assess the protective benefits of blocking the RAS in individuals at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Two such trials on the prevention of type 2 diabetes are ongoing, the Diabetes Reduction Assessment with Ramipril and Rosiglitazone Medications (DREAM) study and the more ambitious Nateglinide and Valsartan in Impaired Glucose Tolerance Outcomes Research (NAVIGATOR) trial, which is also assessing prevention of cardiovascular events.
...
PMID:Of the renin-angiotensin system and reactive oxygen species Type 2 diabetes and angiotensin II inhibition. 1569 26

The renin-angiotensin system plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of obesity, obesity-associated hypertension, and insulin resistance. However, the biological actions of angiotensin II (AII) on insulin sensitivity remain controversial. Because angiotensinogen and AII receptors are expressed on adipose tissue, we investigated the effect of AII on the insulin sensitivity of isolated rat adipocytes. The results of a receptor binding assay showed the maximal AII binding capacity of adipocytes to be 8.3 +/- 0.9 fmol/7 x 10(6) cells and the dissociation constant to be 2.72 +/- 0.11 nM. Substantial expression of both type 1 and 2 AII (AT1 and AT2) receptors was detected by RT-PCR. AII had no effect on basal glucose uptake, but significantly potentiated insulin-stimulated glucose uptake; this effect was abolished by the AT1 antagonist, losartan. In addition, AII did not alter the insulin binding capacity of adipocytes, but increased insulin-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of the insulin receptor beta-subunit, Akt phosphorylation, and translocation of glucose transporter 4 to the plasma membrane. AII potentiated insulin-stimulated glucose uptake through the AT1 receptor and by alteration of the intracellular signaling of insulin. Intraperitoneal injection of Sprague Dawley rats with AII increased insulin sensitivity in vivo. In conclusion, we have shown that AII enhances insulin sensitivity both in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that dysregulation of the insulin-sensitizing effect of AII may be involved in the development of insulin resistance.
...
PMID:Angiotensin II enhances insulin sensitivity in vitro and in vivo. 1570 82

Recent trials have suggested that inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), such as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), may reduce the incidence of new-onset diabetes in patients with or without hypertension and at high risk of developing diabetes. In this review, we critically evaluate the evidence from recent clinical trials for such a potential preventive effect of ACE inhibitors and ARBs, including a meta-analysis of these recent trials. The reduced incidence of diabetes in patients at high risk of developing diabetes by ACE inhibitors or ARBs has been explained by haemodynamic effects, such as improved delivery of insulin and glucose to the peripheral skeletal muscle, and non-haemodynamic effects, including direct effects on glucose transport and insulin signalling pathways, all of which decrease insulin resistance. There is now evidence that the pancreas may contain an in situ active RAS, which appears to be upregulated in an animal model of type 2 diabetes. Thus, ACE inhibitors and ARBs may act by attenuating the deleterious effect of angiotensin II on vasoconstriction, fibrosis, inflammation, apoptosis and beta-cell death in the pancreas, thereby protecting a critical beta-cell mass essential for insulin production. New evidence is presented that ACE inhibitors and ARBs may delay or prevent the development of insulin resistance and diabetes, for which novel mechanisms are suggested. The actions of agents that interrupt the RAS on insulin resistance, obesity and diabetes warrant further investigation in other animal models. Prospective clinical studies with the primary endpoint of the prevention of diabetes are now indicated to (i) further explore whether the inhibitors of the RAS are superior compared to other antihypertensive agents such as calcium channel blockers (CCBs) and (ii) to evaluate the potential beneficial effects of combination antihypertensive regimens on the development of diabetes.
...
PMID:Why blockade of the renin-angiotensin system reduces the incidence of new-onset diabetes. 1571 83

Obesity alone is the cause of 11% of cases of cardiac failure in men and 14% of cases in women in the United States. The frequency of obesity continues to rise in our country, 41% of our compatriots being obese or overweight. It is expected that obesity will become an important cause of cardiac failure in the coming years. The Framingham study showed that, after correction for other risk factors, for every point increase in body mass index, the increase in risk of developing cardiac failure was 5% in men and 7% in women. There are three physiopathological mechanisms to explain the adverse effects of obesity on left ventricular function: an increase in ventricular preload secondary to increased plasma volume induced by the high fatty mass; an increase in left ventricular afterload due to the common association of hypertension generated by activation of the sympathetic nervous system by hyperinsulinism; and systolic and diastolic dysfunction due to changes in the myocardial genome and coronary artery disease induced by risk factors of atherosclerosis aggravated by obesity. The adipocyte also secretes a number of hormones which act directly or indirectly on the myocardium: angiotensin II, leptin, resistin, adrenomedulin, cytokines. These haemodynamic and hormonal changes profoundly modify the genetic expression of the myocardium in obesity, favourising hypertrophy of the myocyte and the development of interstitial fibrosis. Whether it be eccentric in the absence of hypertension or concentric when hypertension is associated with obesity, left ventricular hypertrophy, although normalising left ventricular wall stress, has adverse consequences causing abnormal relaxation and decreased left ventricular compliance. Therefore, in obese patients, two forms of cardiac failure may be observed. The more common is due to diastolic dysfunction, obesity being one of the principal causes of cardiac failure with preserved systolic function. Cardiac failure due to systolic dysfunction is less common and may be observed in cases with inappropriate left ventricular hypertrophy which does not normalise abnormal left ventricular wall stress leading to cardiomyopathy, and in cases with associated coronary artery disease. Whatever the underlying mechanism, the diagnosis of cardiac failure is made more difficult by obesity. From the prognostic point of view, in the global population of patients with cardiac failure, obesity improves survival because it counteracts the adverse effect of cachexia; however, obesity increases the risk of sudden death. In fact, obesity is associated with dynamic change in QT interval. In cases of cardiac failure secondary to obesity-related cardiomyopathy, loss of weight leads to an improved functional status and a reduction of left ventricular remodelling and an increase of the ejection fraction.
...
PMID:[Obesity and cardiac failure]. 1572 18

Thrombotic cardiovascular diseases increase in incidence in the elderly, a tendency dependent on the age-related changes in vascular and hemostatic systems that include platelets, coagulation, and fibrinolytic factors as well as in the endothelium. The hypercoagulability of and advanced sclerotic changes in the vascular wall may contribute to the increased incidence of thrombosis in the elderly. One of the important key genes for aging-associated thrombosis is plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), a principal inhibitor of fibrinolysis. The expression of PAI-1 is not only elevated in the elderly but also significantly induced in a variety of pathologies associated with the process of aging. These conditions include obesity, insulin resistance, emotional stress, immune responses, and vascular sclerosis/remodeling. Several cytokines and hormones, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha, transforming growth factor-beta, angiotensin II, and insulin, positively regulate the gene expression of PAI-1. The recent epidemic in obesity with aging in the industrialized society may heighten the risk for thrombotic cardiovascular disease because adipose tissue is a primary source of PAI-1 and cytokines. Emotional or psychosocial stress and inflammation also cause the elevated expression of PAI-1 in an age-specific pattern. Thus, PAI-1 could play a key role in the progression of cardiovascular aging by promoting thrombosis and vascular (athero)sclerosis. Further studies on the genetic mechanism of aging-associated PAI-1 induction will be necessary to define the basis for cardiovascular aging in relation to thrombosis.
...
PMID:Aging and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) regulation: implication in the pathogenesis of thrombotic disorders in the elderly. 1582 Jan 96

Being overweight or obese has become highly prevalent in Western countries and are rapidly reaching epidemic proportions in the developing world. Obesity-related disorders, such as hypertension and diabetes, are also increasing at an alarming rate. The relationship between obesity, hypertension and insulin resistance is well recognised, but the molecular mechanisms involved remain relatively poorly understood. Adipose tissue plays a key role in the pathogenesis of the metabolic syndrome. It serves as an important source of pro-inflammatory molecules, including leptin, tumour necrosis factor alpha, angiotensin II and interleukin-6, as well as anti-inflammatory molecules, such as adiponectin. Knowledge of how these adipose tissue-derived factors influence metabolic and cardiovascular disease has recently expanded. Leptin is now considered to play a key role in the elevation of sympathetic activity commonly found in obese, hypertensive patients, and decreased secretion of adiponectin appears to be an important predictor of diabetes. The ectopic storage of excess fat in skeletal muscle, liver or pancreas, due to the decreased capacity of adipose tissue to scavenge excess calories, may also play a role in the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Overall, continuing research into the relationship between adipose-tissue biology and metabolic abnormalities may lead to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the relationship between obesity and cardiovascular disease, and ultimately provide alternative treatments for the control of potentially life-threatening conditions.
...
PMID:Obesity, hypertension and insulin resistance. 1586 17

Both protein kinase C (PKC) activation and increased oxidative stress have been paid attention to as important causative factors for diabetic vascular complications. In this article, we show a PKC-dependent increase in oxidative stress in vascular tissues of diabetes and insulin resistant state. High glucose level and free fatty acids stimulate de novo diacylglycerol (DAG)-PKC pathway and subsequently stimulate reactive oxygen species (ROS) production through a PKC-dependent activation of NAD(P)H oxidase. Increasing evidence has also shown that NAD(P)H oxidase components are upregulated in micro- and macro- vascular tissues of animal models and patients of diabetes and obesity. It is also noted that increased intrinsic angiotensin II production may amplify such a PKC-dependent activation of NAD(P)H oxidase in diabetic vascular tissues. These mechanisms may play an important role in the diabetic vascular complications and the accelerated atherosclerosis associated with diabetes and obesity. In addition, recent reports have shown that NAD(P)H oxidases exist in pancreatic beta-cells and adipocytes, and this oxidase-generated ROS production may play an important role in both the progressive beta-cell dysfunction and the dysregulated adipocytokine production and subsequent obesity-induced metabolic syndrome. These results suggest that an NAD(P)H oxidase activation may be a useful therapeutic target for preventing diabetic vascular complications, progressive beta-cell dysfunction and metabolic syndrome.
...
PMID:NAD(P)H oxidase activation: a potential target mechanism for diabetic vascular complications, progressive beta-cell dysfunction and metabolic syndrome. 1602 68

The novel 36-amino acid peptide, apelin, is the endogenous ligand for the orphan receptor APJ. Apelin may play important roles in the regulation of the cardiovascular system and the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. It is a potent hypotensive agent and one of the most potent stimulators of cardiac contractility. In this study, we investigated the roles of apelin derived from adipocytes in the regulation of cardiovascular homeostasis. We found that both apelin and APJ mRNAs were expressed in isolated mouse adipocytes and that apelin mRNA levels increased during the differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells to adipocytes. We also found that the administration of insulin (1 nM-100 nM) increased, while that of dexamethasone (0.1 nM-100 nM) decreased the apelin mRNA levels in 3T3-L1 adipocytes in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting that insulin and glucocorticoids regulate apelin gene expression in adipocytes. We speculate that high glucocorticoid levels suppress apelin production and stimulate angiotensin II production in adipocyte, decreasing the counter-regulatory activity of apelin against the pressor action of angiotensin II, which might partly be involved in the mechanism underlying the development of obesity-related hypertension.
...
PMID:Regulation of apelin mRNA expression by insulin and glucocorticoids in mouse 3T3-L1 adipocytes. 1613 78

Diabetic nephropathy characterized by proteinuria and sclerosis is the leading cause of renal failure, but its mechanisms are not well understood. Zucker Obese (ZO) rat model of obesity, insulin resistance, and hypertension has been used to study nephropathy. We hypothesize that chronically elevated intrarenal angiotensin II (ANG II) down-regulates nephrin, a key slit-pore protein and up-regulates fibrogenic molecule transforming growth factor (TGFbeta1) and thus result in progression of nephropathy in type 2 diabetes. Untreated or angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, captopril, treated ZO and control Lean (ZL) rats were used to measure intrarenal levels of ANG II, glomerular nephrin, TGFbeta1, collagen and fibronectin with age using radioimmunoassay, RT-PCR and immunoblot techniques. Progression of nephropathy was established by measuring proteinuria and sclerosis. ZO rats developed obesity, hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinimia, increase in intrarenal ANG II and proteinuria. Expression of glomerular nephrin decreased while expression of TGFbeta1 and matrix components increased in ZO rats. Captopril treatment prevented increase in intrarenal ANG II, and reversed expression of nephrin, TGFbeta1, collagen and fibronectin. We conclude that in this model of type 2 diabetic nephropathy, chronically elevated intrarenal ANG II causes proteinuria via decrease in nephrin and glomerulosclerosis via TGFbeta1 mediated increase in matrix component.
...
PMID:Chronically increased intrarenal angiotensin II causes nephropathy in an animal model of type 2 diabetes. 1614 87

<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next >>