Acute insulin response and beta-cell compensation in normal subjects treated with olanzapine or risperidone for 2 weeks.
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Publications and source records attributed to Sudha S Shankar.
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Serum HGF is elevated in obese individuals. This study examined the contribution of excess adipose tissue to increased circulating HGF levels in obesity. Serum HGF was measured by ELISA before and after weight loss due to bariatric surgery or a 24-h fast. At 6.1 +/- 0.1 mo following surgery, BMI (50.6 +/- 1.6 vs. 35.1 +/- 1.3 kg/m(2); P < 0.0001) and serum HGF were significantly decreased (1,164 +/- 116 vs. 529 +/- 39 pg/ml, P < 0.001). A 24-h fast did not change serum HGF, but serum leptin was significantly reduced (67.7 +/- 7.1 vs. 50.3 +/- 8.3 ng/ml, P = 0.02). HGF secretion in vitro from adipocytes of obese (BMI 40.3 +/- 2.8 kg/m(2)) subjects was significantly greater (80.9 +/- 10.4 vs. 21.5 +/- 4.0 pg/10(5) cells, P = 0.008) than release from adipocytes of lean (BMI 23.3 +/- 1.4 kg/m(2)) subjects. HGF mRNA levels determined by real-time RT-PCR were not different in adipocytes from lean (BMI 24.0 +/- 0.8 kg/m(2)) and obese (45.7 +/- 3.0 kg/m(2)) subjects, but serum HGF was significantly elevated in the obese individuals studied (787 +/- 61 vs. 489 +/- 49 pg/ml, P = 0.001). TNF-alpha (24 h treatment) significantly increased HGF release from subcutaneous adipocytes 23.6 +/- 8.3% over control (P = 0.02). These data suggest that elevated serum HGF in obesity is in part attributable to excess adipose tissue and that this effect can be reversed by reducing adipose tissue mass through weight loss. Increased HGF secretion from adipocytes of obese subjects may be due to posttranscriptional events possibly related to adipocyte size and stimulation by elevated TNF-alpha in the adipose tissue of obese individuals.
It is well established that endothelial dysfunction and insulin resistance go hand in hand. However, it is unclear whether endothelial dysfunction per se is sufficient to impair insulin-mediated glucose uptake. We have previously reported that 4 wk of administration of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 protease inhibitor indinavir to HIV-negative subjects induces endothelial dysfunction. Hence, we hypothesized that indinavir-induced endothelial dysfunction was associated with impaired insulin-mediated glucose disposal. We measured insulin-mediated glucose disposal at the level of the whole body, skeletal muscle, and vasculature by performing hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp, and vascular function studies, in a separate group of HIV-negative healthy nonobese subjects (n = 13) before and after 4 wk of daily oral indinavir. Four weeks of indinavir resulted in a 113 +/- 29% (P < 0.01) reduction of endothelium-dependent vasodilation, consistent with our earlier findings. In addition, there was a significant impairment of insulin-mediated vasodilation (101 +/- 14% before indinavir vs. 35 +/- 15% after indinavir; P < 0.05). However, there was no significant change in insulin-mediated glucose disposal at the level of the whole body (8.9 +/- 0.5 before indinavir vs. 8.5 +/- 0.6 mgxkg(-1)xmin(-1) after indinavir; P = 0.4), or skeletal muscle. Furthermore, in a separate group of four HIV-negative healthy nonobese subjects, we found that 4 wk of indinavir has no sustained effect on insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in adipose tissue. Thus our findings indicate that 1) endothelial dysfunction alone is insufficient to impair insulin-mediated glucose disposal, and 2) indinavir-induced endothelial dysfunction is likely due to a direct effect of the drug on the endothelium and is not coupled to the induction of insulin resistance.
The insulin resistance syndrome, otherwise known as the metabolic syndrome, describes a cluster of cardiovascular and metabolic abnormalities, which are strongly associated with overweight and obesity. The importance of the syndrome is due to its increased rates of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Insulin resistance is also characterized by elevated free fatty acid (FFA) levels. In otherwise healthy human subjects, elevation of FFA impairs endothelial function. This appears to be largely the result of blunting of nitric oxide-dependent tone, most likely at the level of the endothelial isoform of nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). Some of the potential mediatory mechanisms include oxidative stress, proinflammatory cytokines, C-reactive protein, or endogenous inhibitors of eNOS. Regardless of the mechanism(s) that mediates the effects of increased FFA on the vasculature, impaired vascular function is likely to account, at least in part, for the increase in cardiovascular mortality in subjects with the insulin resistance syndrome.
BACKGROUND: Potent antiretroviral treatment has drastically reduced mortality in HIV-infected patients but may accelerate atherosclerotic disease, which could be partially mediated via endothelial dysfunction. METHODS: In 8 HIV-negative healthy males, leg blood flow responses to intraartery infusions of methacholine chloride (Mch), sodium nitroprusside, and NG-mono-methyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA) were measured before and after 4 weeks of daily oral indinavir. In the same subjects, we also assessed the effect of indinavir on lipids, insulin sensitivity, markers of inflammation, as well as oxidative stress. RESULTS: After 4 weeks of indinavir, the endothelium-dependent response to methacholine chloride was impaired (195% +/- 38% vs 83% +/- 13%, P < .05), the response to NG-mono-methyl-L-arginine (nitric oxide-dependent tone) was nearly abrogated (-30% +/- 4% vs -1% +/- 11%, P < .05), whereas the endothelium-independent response to sodium nitroprusside remained unchanged. Fasting insulin levels increased from 5.8 +/- 1.2 to 7.0 +/- 1.4 microU/mL (P < .05), and HOMA-IR scores increased from 1.3 +/- 0.3 to 1.6 +/- 0.3 U (P < .05). There were no changes in blood pressure, lipids, markers of inflammation, or oxidative stress. CONCLUSIONS: Four weeks of the HIV-1 protease inhibitor indinavir, in the absence of HIV-1 infection, causes vascular dysfunction most likely at the level of endothelial nitric oxide production. The vascular dysfunction may be mediated partially by the concomitant induction of insulin resistance but other mechanisms cannot be ruled out.
OBJECTIVE: Adiponectin mRNA expression in isolated subcutaneous and omental adipocytes was examined across a wide range of adiposity to determine whether adiponectin synthesis is impaired in these adipose tissue depots in obese humans. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)alpha and dexamethasone were tested for inhibitory effects on adiponectin release from human adipocytes in vitro. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Adipocytes were isolated by collagenase digestion of abdominal adipose tissue obtained from subjects undergoing surgical procedures or outpatient needle biopsy. Adiponectin and leptin mRNA were quantitated by real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Adiponectin and leptin secretion from isolated adipocytes treated with dexamethasone or TNFalpha were determined by radioimmunoassay. RESULTS: There was a significant negative correlation between adiponectin gene expression and BMI in subcutaneous adipocytes from 32 women (r = 0.420; p = 0.02). Adiponectin mRNA was also significantly correlated with serum adiponectin (r = 0.44; p = 0.03; n = 25). There was no correlation between adiponectin mRNA expression and BMI in omental adipocytes from 29 women. Leptin mRNA was significantly and positively correlated (r = 0.484; p = 0.01) with BMI in the same omental adipocyte mRNA preparations. In subcutaneous adipocytes from lean subjects, TNFalpha inhibited adiponectin release by 7.4 +/- 1.2% (n = 9, p < 0.05) but had no effect on adiponectin release from subcutaneous or omental adipocytes from obese subjects. Dexamethasone significantly inhibited adiponectin release with 24 hours of treatment. DISCUSSION: The data suggest that reduced adiponectin synthesis in subcutaneous adipocytes contributes to lower serum adiponectin levels in obesity and that glucocorticoids regulate adiponectin gene expression in human adipocytes. TNFalpha does not seem to directly inhibit adiponectin synthesis in human adipocytes.
Obesity is becoming more prevalent in the developed world because of the abundance of food and the decrease of physical activity. Obesity is a risk factor for a host of diseases from arthritis to cardiovascular disease. The precise mechanisms by which obesity promotes cardiovascular disease are not well understood but are likely to include metabolic and inflammatory responses to the increased amount of stored fat. The endothelium plays a pivotal role in maintaining vascular health. Impaired endothelial function is an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease. Most studies of vascular function in obese subjects have demonstrated impaired endothelial function. This impairment of endothelial function becomes obvious early on, long before any vascular abnormalities become clinically relevant and detectable. Better understanding of the mediators of obesity-induced endothelial dysfunction may lead to the identification of new targets for interventions that may prevent or postpone the development of obesity-related cardiovascular disease.
We have recently shown that elevated levels of free fatty acid (FFA) seen in insulin-resistant obese subjects are associated with endothelial dysfunction. L-carnitine, which is required for mitochondrial FFA transport/oxidation, has been reported to improve vascular function in subjects with diabetes and heart disease. Here, we tested the hypothesis that L-carnitine attenuates FFA-induced endothelial dysfunction. We studied leg blood flow (LBF) responses and leg vascular resistance (LVR) to graded intrafemoral artery infusions of the endothelium-dependent vasodilator, methacholine chloride (MCh). A group (n = 7) of normal lean subjects was studied under basal conditions (saline), after 2 h of FFA elevation (FFA), and then after 2 h of superimposing L-carnitine on FFA elevation. FFA elevation caused the maximal LBF increment in response to MCh to decrease from 0.388 +/- 0.08 to 0.212 +/- 0.071 L/min (P < 0.05). Similarly, FFA blunted the maximum decrease in LVR in response to MCh from -315 +/- 41 U to -105 +/- 46 U (P < 0.05). The superimposed L-carnitine restored the LBF increment in response to MCh to 0.488 +/- 0.088 L/min (P < 0.05 vs. FFA) and the maximum fall in LVR to -287 +/- 75 U (P < 0.05 vs. FFA), indicating that L-carnitine elevation may attenuate FFA-induced endothelial dysfunction. In conclusion, our data suggest that increasing L-carnitine levels may improve FFA-induced and obesity-associated endothelial dysfunction. This improved endothelial function may delay or prevent the development of excess cardiovascular disease.
Endothelial dysfunction is a critical initial step of atherogenesis that subsequently contributes to the progression and clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis. The use of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) protease inhibitor (PI) agents has been associated with increased cardiovascular events and worsening of multiple coronary heart disease risk factors including dys-lipidemia, insulin resistance, and endothelial dysfunction. Endothelial dysfunction may be caused by HIV infection itself as well as treatment-related effects of the antiretroviral agents used to treat HIV. The available evidence suggests that PIs may induce endothelial dysfunction via their effects on both lipid and glucose metabolism. Studies in healthy subjects confirm a role for reduced endothelial nitric oxide production in the endothelial dysfunction associated with the PI indinavir. Further work is needed to determine the relative tendencies of other antiretroviral agents to induce endothelial dysfunction, the physiologic mechanisms involved, and the contribution of the metabolic and body shape changes associated with HIV treatment-related lipodystrophy, and to establish effective interventions for endothelial dysfunction in HIV-infected patients.
The diuretic response to loop diuretics in various disease states has consistently been found to be subnormal. One of the key determinants of the degree of diuretic response is the functional integrity of the sodium-potassium-chloride transporter in the loop of Henle. Studies in animal models suggest that expression/activity of the transporter may be affected by factors such as altered natural splicing events of NKCC2 (the gene encoding for the renal transporter), renal prostanoids, vasopressin, and other autacoids. We have reviewed the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of loop diuretics in health and in edematous disorders for which they are used. On the basis of evidence reviewed in this paper, we propose that altered expression or activity of the sodium-potassium-chloride transporter in the loop of Henle, in conjunction with events occurring in other segments of the nephron, possibly accounts for the altered diuretic response to these agents. Thus the modulators of this altered expression/activity could serve as important therapeutic targets for alternative diuretic regimens in these conditions.