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

In developed societies, chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, atherosclerosis and cancer are responsible for most deaths. These ailments have complex causes involving genetic, environmental and nutritional factors. There is evidence that a group of closely related nuclear receptors, called peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), may be involved in these diseases. This, together with the fact that PPAR activity can be modulated by drugs such as thiazolidinediones and fibrates, has instigated a huge research effort into PPARs. Here we present the latest developments in the PPAR field, with particular emphasis on the physiological function of PPARs during various nutritional states, and the possible role of PPARs in several chronic diseases.
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PMID:Roles of PPARs in health and disease. 1083 30

To test the hypothesis that the physiologic liporegulatory role of hyperleptinemia is to prevent steatosis during caloric excess, we induced obesity by feeding normal Harlan Sprague-Dawley rats a 60% fat diet. Hyperleptinemia began within 24 h and increased progressively to 26 ng/ml after 10 weeks, correlating with an approximately 150-fold increase in body fat (r = 0.91, p < 0.0001). During this time, the triacylglycerol (TG) content of nonadipose tissues rose only 1-2.7-fold implying antisteatotic activity. In rodents without leptin action (fa/fa rats and ob/ob and db/db mice) receiving a 6% fat diet, nonadipose tissue TG was 4-100 times normal. In normal rats on a 60% fat diet, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha protein and liver-carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 (l-CPT-1) mRNA increased in liver. In their pancreatic islets, fatty-acid oxidation increased 30% without detectable increase in the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha or oxidative enzymes, whereas lipogenesis from [14C]glucose was slightly below that of the 4% fat-fed rats (p < 0.05). Tissue-specific overexpression of wild-type leptin receptors in the livers of fa/fa rats, in which marked steatosis is uniformly present, reduced TG accumulation in liver but nowhere else. We conclude that a physiologic role of the hyperleptinemia of caloric excess is to protect nonadipocytes from steatosis and lipotoxicity by preventing the up-regulation of lipogenesis and increasing fatty-acid oxidation.
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PMID:Liporegulation in diet-induced obesity. The antisteatotic role of hyperleptinemia. 1109 93

Recent advances regarding the biology of adipose tissue have identified the adipocyte as an important mediator in many physiologic and pathologic processes regarding energy metabolism. Consideration for a central role of adipose tissue in the development of obesity, cardiovascular disease and noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus has resulted in new incentives toward understanding the complexities of adipocyte differentiation. Current knowledge of this process includes a cascade of transcriptional events that culminate in the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARgamma) and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-alpha (C/EBPalpha). These prominent adipogenic transcription factors have been shown to regulate, directly or indirectly, the gene expression necessary for the development of the mature adipocyte. Hormonal and nutritional signaling that impinges on these trans-acting factors provides a molecular link between lipids and lipid-related compounds and the gene expression important for glucose and lipid homeostasis. Knowledge concerning the transcriptional events mediating adipocyte differentiation provides a basis for understanding the physiologic processes associated with adipose tissue as well as for the development of therapeutic interventions in obesity and its related disorders.
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PMID:Hormonal signaling and transcriptional control of adipocyte differentiation. 1111 Aug 83

Rosiglitazone (Avandiatrade mark) is a new generation thiazolidinedione used in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. As with other thiazolidinediones, it binds to the gamma-isoform of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR), a nuclear hormone receptor. Subsequent to PPAR-gamma activation, rosiglitazone increases insulin suppression of hepatic glucose output and increases peripheral glucose uptake in the muscles, thereby improving the glycaemic state of the individual. In rodent models of obesity and Type 2 diabetes, rosiglitazone has been shown to have positive effects in the main target organs responsible for the condition, namely the liver, pancreas, skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. These studies also suggest that rosiglitazone may help in preserving renal and pancreatic function that deteriorates in chronic hyperinsulinaemia. In clinical studies, rosiglitazone has been shown to be effective, safe and well-tolerated, not only when used as monotherapy, but also when used in combination with sulphonylureas, metformin or insulin. Unlike troglitazone, rosiglitazone is not metabolised via CYP3A4 and is thus unlikely to be subject to clinically important drug interactions. In addition, no evidence of hepatotoxicity has been associated with rosiglitazone to date. Rosiglitazone should therefore be strongly considered as part of the overall management of Type 2 diabetes.
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PMID:Rosiglitazone: a new therapy for Type 2 diabetes. 1113 21

Insulin resistance in liver and muscle tissue, together with beta-cell secretory defects, leads to overt type 2 diabetes mellitus. In the early stages of this progressive disorder, glycaemic control can be established through diet and exercise alone. Indeed, in some patients, marked weight reduction can lead to normalized fasting blood glucose. As a consequence, pharmacological approaches to weight loss have been investigated as a new option for the management of type 2 diabetes in obese patients. The serotonin- and noradrenaline-reuptake inhibitor sibutramine has emerged as the most promising agent in the treatment of obesity, although it appears to be less effective in diabetic patients than in non-diabetic patients. Other weight-reducing agents of potential benefit include noradrenergic anorexiants, orlistat, leptin, and beta3-agonists. Insulin and insulin secretagogues, the oldest available antidiabetic drugs, have been used to compensate for beta-cell secretory defects in patients with type 2 diabetes. Repaglinide, a new, fast-acting insulin secretagogue with a short duration of action, reduces postprandial hyperglycaemia when taken shortly before meals. Other novel antidiabetic agents are currently under development, including pramlintide (an amylin analogue) and glucagon-like peptide. Pramlintide slows gastric emptying and delays glucose absorption, and glucagon-like peptide is the most potent endogenous stimulator of glucose-induced insulin release. Recent advances in type 2 diabetes therapy have seen the development of the thiazolidinediones (troglitazone, rosiglitazone, and pioglitazone), which improve insulin resistance in patients whose diabetes is poorly controlled by diet and exercise therapy. Thiazolidinediones bind to peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) and act through a process involving gene regulation at a transcriptional level. Troglitazone, the first approved drug in the class, has been shown to decrease plasma glucose levels as monotherapy but is more effective in combination with sulphonylureas, metformin, or insulin. However, despite its generally good safety profile, troglitazone has been associated with severe idiosyncratic hepatocellular injury. There have been more than 150 spontaneous reports of serious hepatic events, including at least 25 instances in which patients died or required a liver transplant. Rosiglitazone, the most potent thiazolidinedione, is still in clinical development, as is pioglitazone. To date, rosiglitazone has been shown to have no reported cases of idiosyncratic drug reactions leading to jaundice or liver failure and no clinically significant drug interactions with cytochrome P450 3A4-metabolized drugs such as nifedipine. Although the available data for pioglitazone are limited to the results of short-term studies, it is reported to be safe and well tolerated. Combination therapy is increasingly important in type 2 diabetes management following failure of monotherapy because complementary mechanisms of action of the different classes of oral agents demonstrate synergistic effects when used in combination. Oral agents may also be used as adjuncts to insulin for achieving glycaemic control.
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PMID:Promising new approaches. 1122 Feb 87

To identify the genetic determinants of typical obesity, we performed a genome-wide scan of obesity-related traits using data from the Amish. Multipoint linkage analysis was performed using a variance components procedure on body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, percentage of body fat, and serum leptin concentrations. All 672 individuals were genotyped for 357 markers in 22 autosomes. We observed modest evidence for linkage, with the maximum log odds (lod) scores for linkage for these traits occurring on chromosomes 3p (percentage of body fat: lod = 1.61, near the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha gene), 14q (waist: lod = 1.80), and 16p (leptin: lod = 1.72; BMI: lod = 1.68). We also tested for linkage to BMI-adjusted leptin concentrations and observed suggestive evidence for linkage on chromosome 10p (lod = 2.73), approximately 10-20 cM telomeric from obesity loci previously reported in French and German Caucasians. Two additional linkage signals for this trait were observed on chromosomes 7q (lod = 1.77, approximately 20 cM from the leptin gene) and 14q (lod = 2.47). Follow-up studies may be warranted to pursue some of these linkage signals, especially those detected near known obesity candidate genes, and those in regions coinciding with linkage signals reported previously.
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PMID:Genome-wide scan of obesity in the Old Order Amish. 1123 9

Agouti is a secreted paracrine factor that regulates pigmentation in hair follicle melanocytes. Several dominant mutations cause ectopic expression of agouti, resulting in a phenotype characterized by yellow fur, adult-onset obesity and diabetes, increased linear growth and skeletal mass, and increased susceptibility to tumors. Humans also produce agouti protein, but the highest levels of agouti in humans are found in adipose tissue. To mimic the human agouti expression pattern in mice, transgenic mice (aP2-agouti) that express agouti in adipose tissue were generated. The transgenic mice develop a mild form of obesity, and they are sensitized to the action of insulin. We correlated the levels of specific regulators of insulin signaling and adipocyte differentiation with these phenotypic changes in adipose tissue. Signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT)1, STAT3, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma protein levels were elevated in the transgenic mice. Treatment of mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes recapitulated these effects. These data demonstrate that agouti has potent effects on adipose tissue. We hypothesize that agouti increases adiposity and promotes insulin sensitivity by acting directly on adipocytes via PPAR-gamma.
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PMID:Agouti regulates adipocyte transcription factors. 1124 12

The preferential channeling of different fuels to fat and changes in the transcription profile of adipose tissue and skeletal muscle are poorly understood processes involved in the pathogenesis of obesity and insulin resistance. Carbohydrate and lipid metabolism may play relevant roles in this context. Freely moving lean Zucker rats received 3- and 24-h infusions of Intralipid (Pharmacia and Upjohn, Milan, Italy) plus heparin, or saline plus heparin, to evaluate how an increase in free fatty acids (nonesterified fatty acid [NEFA]) modulates fat tissue and skeletal muscle gene expression and thus influences fuel partitioning. Glucose uptake was determined in various tissues at the end of the infusion period by means of the 2-deoxy-[1-3H]-D-glucose technique after a euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp: high NEFA levels markedly decreased insulin-mediated glucose uptake in red fiber-type muscles but enhanced glucose utilization in visceral fat. Using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and Northern blotting analyses, the mRNA expression of fatty acid translocase (FAT)/CD36, GLUT4, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma, leptin, uncoupling protein (UCP)-2, and UCP-3 was investigated in different fat depots and skeletal muscles before and after the study infusions. GLUT4 mRNA levels significantly decreased (by approximately 25%) in red fiber-type muscle (soleus) and increased (by approximately 45%) in visceral adipose tissue. Furthermore, there were marked increases in FAT/CD36, TNF-alpha, PPAR-gamma, leptin, UCP2, and UCP3 mRNA levels in the visceral fat and muscle of the treated animals in comparison with those measured in the saline-treated animals. These data suggest that the in vivo gene expression of FAT/CD36, GLUT4, TNF-alpha, PPAR-gamma, leptin, UCP2, and UCP3 in visceral fat and red fiber-type muscle are differently regulated by circulating lipids and that selective insulin resistance seems to favor, at least in part, a prevention of fat accumulation in tissues not primarily destined for fat storage, thus contributing to increased adiposity and the development of a prediabetic syndrome.
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PMID:Preferential channeling of energy fuels toward fat rather than muscle during high free fatty acid availability in rats. 1124 80

The importance of the nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARgamma) in regulating insulin resistance and blood pressure has been demonstrated in families with loss of function mutations. Gain of function mutations has been associated with severe obesity. However, previous population studies of the common variant Pro12Ala have produced conflicting results. As it is likely that the natural ligands for this receptor may include fatty acids, we hypothesized that the effect of this common variant may be altered by the character of the diet, particularly the ratio of dietary polyunsaturated fat to saturated fat (P:S ratio). We studied 592 nondiabetic participants in an ongoing population-based cohort study who were genotyped for the Pro12Ala polymorphism in the PPAR gamma2 isoform. As the Ala homozygotes were uncommon (2.0%), all analyses were conducted comparing Pro homozygotes (79.1%) to Ala allele carriers. There was no difference in fasting insulin concentration or BMI between Ala allele carriers and Pro homozygotes. The fasting insulin concentration was negatively associated with the P:S ratio (P = 0.0119) after adjustment for age and sex, and a strong interaction was evident between the P:S ratio and the Pro12Ala polymorphism for both BMI (P = 0.0038) and fasting insulin (P = 0.0097). The data suggest that when the dietary P:S ratio is low, the BMI in Ala carriers is greater than that in Pro homozygotes, but when the dietary ratio is high, the opposite is seen. This gene-nutrient interaction emphasizes the difficulty of examining the effect of common polymorphisms in the absence of data on nongenetic exposures, and may explain the heterogeneity of findings in previous studies.
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PMID:Evidence for gene-nutrient interaction at the PPARgamma locus. 1124 92

The definable causes of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) include jejunoileal bypass surgery (JIB), other causes of rapid and profound weight loss in obese subjects, total parenteral nutrition, drugs, industrial toxins, copper toxicity, and disorders characterized by extreme insulin resistance. However, the etiopathogenesis in most cases of NASH appears multifactorial. Obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hypertriglyceridemia are often associated with hepatic steatosis, and although this does not invariably lead to NASH, the fatty liver is vulnerable to hepatocellular injury initiated by reactive oxygen species (ROS). It is critical to understand not only the triggers for hepatitis (injury and inflammation) in NASH but also how this is perpetuated as chronic liver disease. The present focus is on whether the biochemical processes that generate oxidative stress lead to hepatocyte injury and secondary recruitment of inflammation or whether inflammation is the primary mediator of liver cell injury. Insulin resistance is a reproducible pathogenic factor in NASH. It favors accumulation of free fatty acids in the liver and predisposes to oxidative stress by stimulating microsomal lipid peroxidases and by the direct effects of high insulin levels in decreasing mitochondrial beta-oxidation. CYP2E1 is normally suppressed by insulin but is invariably increased in the livers of patients with NASH. In rodent dietary models of steatohepatitis, CYP2E1 is the catalyst of microsomal lipid peroxidation, while in Cyp 2e1 nullizygous mice, CYP4A proteins are induced and function as alternative microsomal lipid peroxidases. Other studies implicate activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPAR alpha) as leading to NASH; PPAR alpha is a transcription factor that governs both microsomal (via CYP4A) and peroxisomal (beta-oxidation) pathways of lipid oxidation and ultimately production of ROS. Increased lipid peroxidation is a crucial difference between the livers of rodents with experimental NASH and those of ob/ob genetically obese mice that have uncomplicated steatosis. Administration of endotoxin, through the release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), provokes liver inflammation with hepatocyte injury in the steatotic liver. This may be particularly relevant in JIB and has been suggested as a pathogenic mechanism in primary NASH. It has been proposed that inheriting one or more copies of the hemochromatosis gene, C282Y, promotes fibrotic progression in NASH because of increased hepatic iron deposition, but recent studies have failed to confirm this. The relationship between the severity of hepatitis in NASH and progression to cirrhosis implies that products of the inflammatory infiltrate play a role in fibrogenesis. In summary, NASH can be regarded as the hepatic consequence of the metabolic syndrome (or syndrome X). Attention should now shift from steatosis, a generally benign process that is less evident in the advanced stages of cirrhosis, to the mechanisms for hepatocellular injury, inflammation, and hepatic fibrosis. In particular, the genetic, molecular, and cellular factors that ordain and moderate fibrosis in the context of steatohepatitis will be of greatest relevance to effective therapy and clinical outcome.
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PMID:Etiopathogenesis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. 1129 94


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