It has previously been shown that experimental infections of the parasitic trematode Schistosoma mansoni, the adult worms of which reside in the blood stream of the mammalian host, significantly reduced atherogenesis in apolipoprotein E gene knockout (apoE(-/-)) mice. These effects occurred in tandem with a lowering of serum total cholesterol ...

Meprin is a member of the astacin family of zinc metalloendopeptidases. It is widely distributed in the body, and hydrolyzes and inactivates several endogenous vasoactive peptides, some of which could alter various functions of cells in the arterial wall. We assessed the influence of chronic meprin inhibition by daily administration ...

AIMS: Apolipoprotein B-100 (apoB-100) has been implicated in hyperlipidemia, which contributes to the pathogenesis of vascular disorders. Our aim was to investigate whether the expression of human apoB-100 in transgenic mice and/or a high-cholesterol diet cause cerebral microvascular lesions, and whether these conditions augment ischemia-related capillary damage. MAIN METHODS: Human ...

Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CC1) is a cell adhesion molecule within the Ig superfamily. The Tyr-phosphorylated isoform of CC1 (CC1-L) plays an important metabolic role in the regulation of hepatic insulin clearance. In this report, we show that CC1-deficient (Cc1(-/-)) mice are prone to hepatic steatosis, as revealed ...

OBJECTIVE: Although protein malnutrition impairs immune functions, several studies have recently shown that protein restriction without malnutrition is beneficial to host defenses against invading pathogens and cancer. In an effort to establish the optimum diet for host resistance, we investigated the effect of different dietary protein levels on host resistance ...

To examine the long-term effects of stress experienced early in gestation on the programming of offspring feeding behaviors and energy balance, pregnant mice were exposed to stress during early pregnancy (days 1-7) and adult offspring examined on chow and high fat diets for long-term outcomes. Placental 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type ...

OBJECTIVE: We examined the role of butyric acid, a short-chain fatty acid formed by fermentation in the large intestine, in the regulation of insulin sensitivity in mice fed a high-fat diet. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In dietary-obese C57BL/6J mice, sodium butyrate was administrated through diet supplementation at 5% wt/wt in ...

AIM: Enzyme-resistant glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists and GIP receptor antagonists have been proposed to have therapeutic potential for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Such benefits are based on actions mediated primarily through stimulation of insulin secretion or alleviation of insulin resistance respectively. This study examined the long-term actions ...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the immune and antioxidant activities of Glycyrrhiza glabra polysaccharides (GGP) in rats fed high-fat diet. The experiment was performed on four groups of growing Kunming mice. The results of the experiment showed a statistically significant decrease in serum antioxidant enzyme activities in ...

Consumption of a high-fat diet (HFD) is associated with white adipose tissue (WAT) inflammation, which contributes to key components of the metabolic syndrome, including insulin resistance (IR) and hepatic steatosis (HS). To determine the differential effects of exercise training (EX), low-fat diet (LFD), and their combination on WAT inflammation, Balb/cByJ ...

Morbid obesity is considered a systemic inflammatory state. The objective of this project was to characterize the adipokine, cytokine and chemokine protein profile in serum from control, lean and obese mice. We hypothesized that chemokines and cytokines are altered by caloric restriction and diet-induced obesity as a function of changes ...

Apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5) is expressed primarily in the liver and modulates plasma triglyceride levels in mice and humans. Mice overexpressing APOA5 exhibit reduced plasma triglyceride levels. Because there is a tight association between plasma triglyceride concentration and traits of the metabolic syndrome, we used transgenic mice overexpressing human APOA5 to ...

OBJECTIVES: Eugenosedin-A is a serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) 5-HT(1B/2A) and alpha(1)/alpha(2)/beta(1)-adrenoceptor blocker with anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and free-radical scavenging activities. Previous reports demonstrated that 5-HT(2A) blockers could diminish hyperlipidaemia. This study therefore aimed to investigate the possible uses and mechanisms of eugenosedin-A and other agents in treating hyperlipidaemia. METHODS: C57BL/6J mice were ...

We investigated the effect of wasabi rhizome extract on atopic dermatitis (AD) model mice. The wasabi extract was fed to the HR-1 hairless mice, which develop AD-like symptoms with a special diet (HR-AD diet). The extract was expected to reduce the symptoms induced. Wasabi rhizome-containing HR-AD diet (5% and 10%) ...

Rapamycin (RAPA), an immunosuprpressive drug used extensively to prevent graft rejection in transplant patients, has been reported to inhibit adipogenesis in vitro. In this study, we investigated the anti-obesity effects of RAPA in C57BL/6J mice on a high-fat diet (HFD). Mice treated with RAPA (2 mg/kg per week for 16 ...

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of dietary lactoferrin on bone metabolism in vivo using a postmenopausal animal model. We investigated whether bovine lactoferrin (bLF) ingestion could prevent bone loss in ovariectomized mice. Twelve-week-old female C3H mice either ovariectomized or sham operated were fed for ...

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is characterized by the accumulation of lipid- and protein-rich deposits in Bruch's Membrane (BrM). A consequent decrease in hydraulic conductivity and impairment of transport through BrM may play a central role in the pathogenesis of AMD. The mechanism of deposit formation in AMD had been suggested ...

To evaluate potential antioxidant characteristics of organic selenium (Se), double knock-in transgenic mice expressing human mutations in the amyloid precursor protein (APP) and human presenilin-1 (PS1) were provided a Se-deficient diet, a Se-enriched diet (Sel-Plex), or a control diet from 4 to 9 months of age followed by a control ...

OBJECTIVE: Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) adversely affects the plasma lipoprotein profile by increasing VLDL-cholesterol and decreasing HDL-cholesterol. The relative contribution of either of these changes to atherosclerosis development is not known. We investigated to what extent the increase in VLDL-cholesterol can explain the atherogenic action of human CETP expression ...

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are expressed in atherosclerotic plaques and play an important role in plaque instability. METHODS: Using (99m)Tc-labeled broad-spectrum MMP inhibitor (MPI), we performed noninvasive imaging of MMP expression with micro-SPECT/micro-CT in mice deficient in apolipoprotein E (ApoE(-/-), n = 14), mice deficient in low-density-lipoprotein receptor (LDLR(-/-), n = ...

Animals are remarkably efficient in absorbing dietary fat and assimilating this energy-dense nutrient into the white adipose tissue (WAT) for storage. Although this metabolic efficiency may confer an advantage in times of calorie deprivation, it contributes to obesity and associated metabolic disorders when dietary fat is abundant. Here we show ...

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an atherogenic diet on immune function in LDLr(-/-), ApoA-I(-/-) mice. When LDLr(-/-), ApoA-I(-/-) (DKO), and LDLr(-/-) (SKO) mice were fed an atherogenic diet, DKO had larger peripheral lymph nodes (LNs) and spleens compared to SKO mice. LNs were enriched ...

Cancer cachexia is characterised by metabolic alterations leading to loss of adipose tissue and lean body mass and directly compromises physical performance and the quality of life of cancer patients. In a murine cancer cachectic model, the effects of dietary supplementation with a specific combination of high protein, leucine and ...

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the effects of dietary supplemented cycloinulooligosaccharides (CF) on the intestinal immune function and humoral immunity in BALB/c mice. The mice were orally administered with a control diet or a diet containing 5% CF for 6 weeks. The fecal IgA level, an indicator ...

OBJECTIVE: We analyzed the effect of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) agonists on adipose tissue morphology, adiponectin expression, and its relation to glucose and insulin levels in C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat high-sucrose (HFHS) diet. METHODS: Male C57BL/6 mice received one of five diets: standard chow, HFHS chow, or HFHS plus ...

We recently showed that L-Gln protects cultured gastric cells from ammonia-induced cell death and predicted that Gln may also protect during Helicobacter pylori infection in vivo. Thus, the aim of this study was to test whether supplemental dietary Gln protects against H. pylori-associated pathology. For this, C57BL/6 mice were fed ...

Body mass has a positive effect on bone health. Whether mass derived from an obesity condition or excessive fat accumulation is beneficial to bone has not been established; neither have the mechanisms by which obesity affects bone metabolism. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of obesity ...

The membrane vertical phase separation hypothesis predicts that a decrease in plasma membrane acyl chain order will increase major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I surface expression. The hypothesis is based on modification of plasma membrane acyl chain order in cell culture and has not been tested in vivo. In the ...

A novel therapeutic compound was found to induce bladder tumors in male rats. Given the location of the tumors and the increased amounts of calcium- and magnesium-containing solids found in the urine of treated animals, we hypothesized that tumorigenesis was secondary to urine crystal formation rather than a direct effect ...

The nitrite anion is an endogenous product of mammalian nitric oxide (NO) metabolism, a key intermediate in the nitrogen cycle in plants, and a constituent of many foods. Research over the past 6 years has revealed surprising biological and cytoprotective activity of this anion. Hypercholesterolemia causes a proinflammatory phenotype in ...

The present study was undertaken to assess the beneficial effects of a daily consumption of 8 % freeze-dried red-pigmented leafy lettuce (Lactuca sativa) on CVD. C57BL/6J mice were fed a high-fat high-cholesterol diet supplemented with or without red-pigmented leafy lettuce for 4 weeks. The present results showed that the red-pigmented ...

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), Leu, and the signaling pathways they regulate have been reported to either improve or worsen adiposity and insulin sensitivity. Therefore, it is unclear whether dietary supplementation of Leu would be beneficial. To help address this question, we examined the effect of adding Leu (150 mmol/L; Expt. ...

The present study was undertaken to examine if microdoses of ultra-high diluted arsenic trioxide (a potentized homeopathic remedy, Arsenicum Album 200C, diluted 10(-400) times) have hepatoprotective potentials in mice subjected to repeated injections of arsenic trioxide. Arsenic intoxicated mice were divided into: (i) those receiving Arsenicum Album-200C daily, (ii) those ...

The increase in adiponectin levels in obese patients with untreated dyslipidemia and its mRNA expression in adipose tissue of obese animals are one of the most interesting consequences of rimonabant treatment. Thus, part of rimonabant's metabolic effects could be related to an enhancement of adiponectin secretion and its consequence on ...

Nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ), an endogenous ligand for opioid receptor-like 1 (ORL1), is involved in various central functions, such as pain, psychological stress, locomotor activity, learning and memory, and feeding regulation. Of these functions, the role of N/OFQ in the regulation of feeding has been suggested by the fact that the ...

To study the functional role of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) in obesity, the effect of its overexpression on de novo adipogenesis was evaluated in murine models in vivo. Therefore, 3T3-F442A preadipocytes expressing murine PAI-1 (mPAI-1) or control cells were injected in the back of male NUDE mice, which were fed ...

As original studies of UCP1-ablated mice failed to demonstrate an obesogenic effect, alternative mechanisms for adaptive adrenergic thermogenesis have been sought. However, we demonstrate here that in C57Bl6 mice exempt from thermal stress (i.e., kept at thermoneutrality), UCP1 ablation in itself induced obesity, even in mice fed control diet, and ...

Glucocorticoid-induced osteonecrosis is a common and dose-limiting adverse event. The goal of this study was to establish a mouse model of glucocorticoid-induced osteonecrosis suitable for testing the effects of different treatment strategies on its frequency. Fourteen murine strains were screened using various glucocorticoids, routes of administration, and diets. Four-week-old male ...

The pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains largely unknown. Here, we assessed the importance of hepatic fat accumulation on the progression of hepatitis. BALB/cA mice were fed with a standard diet (STD) or a high-fat and high-sucrose diet (HFHSD) for 14 days followed by intraperitoneal injection of d-galactosamine ...

Fish oil treatment was used in reversing the morphological and metabolic changes of C57BL/6 mice fed high-fat-high-sucrose (HFHS) diet. Two-month-old male C57BL/6 mice were fed HFHS chow or standard chow (SC). At 3 months of age, HFHS mice were separated into an untreated group (HFHS) and a group treated with ...

BACKGROUND: Biotin deficiency leads to decreased weight and nose-rump length in mice. AIM OF THE STUDY: The mechanisms underlying this impairment in body growth are yet unclear. Biotin restriction, however, could affect the availability of growth hormone (GH) and/or insulin like growth factor-I (IGF-I) since both hormones control body growth. ...

BACKGROUND: Dietary fat intake has been associated with obesity and obesity in its turn with attenuated airway function and asthma, but it is unclear whether or how high-fat intake per se alters immune function relevant to development of allergic asthma. OBJECTIVE: To use a non-obese mouse model of mild to ...

We created a Thrsp (Spot 14 or S14) null mouse (Thrsp(tm1cnm)) to study the role of Thrsp in de novo lipid synthesis. The Thrsp null mouse exhibits marked deficiencies in de novo lipogenesis in the lactating mammary gland. We now report the Thrsp gene deletion affects body weight and glucose ...

1. Oxidative stress contributes to endothelial dysfunction and atherogenesis in diabetes. The present study tested the hypothesis that a high-cholesterol diet accelerates endothelial dysfunction in Ins2(Akita) mice, a Type 1 diabetic model with a spontaneous autosomal preproinsulin gene (Ins2 gene) mutation, through further increase of superoxide production. 2. The Ins2(Akita) ...

In this study we analysed the possible modulation of endocannabinoids and related molecules during atherosclerosis development in mice. Wild-type and apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE(-/-)) mice were fed either normal chow or high-cholesterol diet for 8-12 weeks, and tissue endocannabinoid levels were measured by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. We found increased levels ...

Quantitative trait mapping identified a locus colocalizing with L-Fabp, encoding liver fatty acid binding protein, as a positional candidate for murine gallstone susceptibility. When fed a lithogenic diet (LD) for 2 weeks, L-Fabp(-/-) mice became hypercholesterolemic with increased hepatic VLDL cholesterol secretion. Seventy-five percent of L-Fabp(-/-) mice developed solid gallstones ...

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is an autosomal recessive multisystem disorder characterized by ectopic connective tissue mineralization, with clinical manifestations primarily in the skin, eyes, and cardiovascular system. There is considerable, both intra- and interfamilial, variability in the spectrum of phenotypic presentation. Previous studies have suggested that mineral content of the diet ...

At present it is widely accepted that there are at least two neurogenic sites in the adult mammalian brain: the subventricular zone (SVZ) of lateral ventricles and the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the hippocampus dentate gyrus. The adult proliferation rate declines with aging and is altered in several neurodegenerative pathologies ...

The roots of Cistanche (C.) tubulosa (Orobanchaceae), a parasitic plant that grows in the Taklamakan desert, are traditionally used as medicines and foods in China. We prepared aqueous ethanol extract (CTE) from the roots of C. tubulosa and its hypocholesterolemic effect was evaluated. Using gene chip and RT-PCR analysis of ...

The aim of this study was to test the effects of Ilex kudingcha total saponins on hemorheology of ApoE-/- mice suffering from hypercholesterolemia induced by high-cholesterol diet. The mice were randomly divided into six groups: the control group, the high-cholesterol diet group, 50 mg/kg atorvastatin treatment group, 75, 150 and ...